Coma
by Cat2000
Summary: AU. The gun that Dean gives Sam in Asylum is actually loaded, and Sam shoots his brother. Dean falls into a coma, fighting for his life… and his soul. Thanks to horrorgoddess for betaing. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**Coma  
Chapter One**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Supernatural, and I'm not making any money from this fic. I do, however, own the plot of this story

**Summary:** AU. The gun that Dean gives Sam in _Asylum_ is actually loaded, and Sam shoots his brother. Dean falls into a coma, fighting for his life… and his soul

**Warning(s):** Violence; some swearing; possible slight ooc:ness; original characters; Alternate Universe scenario

* * *

"What are you gonna do, Sam?" Dean asked. "Gun's filled with rock salt. It's not gonna kill me."

Almost before the last word was out of his mouth, Sam fired the gun, and the force of the blast sent his brother back through the wall. "No… But it'll hurt like hell," the younger Winchester stated, feeling a strange glee come over him. It didn't matter that the force of the shot had knocked Dean out for a moment, rendering him unable to hear Sam's words. He didn't even think about how wrong it was to harm his brother.

Sam wasn't thinking about _anything_ anymore, other than the rage he felt towards Dean. He stepped nearer to his brother, although still kept his distance. Dean was incredibly resourceful, and, just because he was hurt, it didn't mean that he wasn't any less dangerous.

_If he doesn't wake up on his own soon,_ I'll _have to wake him,_ Sam thought, giving a smile that wasn't a nice one at all. In a way, he almost hoped that he would have to wake Dean up. He felt an intense desire to hurt his brother as much as he could. To take his revenge for the way Dean had dragged him along to look for Dad, dragged him away from Jessica.

And that made it _Dean's_ fault that Jessica had been murdered.

_Time's up,_ Sam thought. He was about to slam the barrel of the gun across Dean's face to wake him up, when Dean coughed a few times, and groaned with pain as he regained consciousness.

_My brother shot me,_ was the first thought that went through Dean's mind. _My own brother shot me._ It didn't matter that the gun was loaded with rock salt and wouldn't kill him. He felt like a part of him had died anyway. Did Sam _really_ hate him that much? Enough to shoot him?

"Sam…" Dean managed to choke out. "We've gotta burn Ellicott's bones, and all this will be over. And you'll be back to normal." Dean was only half-aware of the pleading note in his voice. He wouldn't be able to cope if _this_ was how Sam felt about him – that he wanted to hurt him.

_Was I really that bad an older brother?_

"I _am_ normal," Sam replied, holding the gun steady, aimed at Dean, his finger itching to pull the trigger again, to hurt Dean even more. "I'm just telling the truth for the first time. I mean, why are we even here? Cause you're following Dad's orders like a good little soldier? Cause you always do what he says without question? Are you that desperate for his approval!" Sam's voice rose on the last part. It was like he was seeing everything through a red haze. Like he was blinded to everything but his rage. He didn't care that it was his brother who was in pain. In fact, he was enjoying it.

"This isn't you talking, Sam." Every word brought agony to him, and not just because of the rock salt embedded in his chest. Every breath caused sharp pain to stab through his body, and it was difficult not to show how much it hurt.

"That's the difference between you and me," Sam stated. "I have a mind of my own. I'm not pathetic like you."

"Are you going to kill me?" Dean couldn't even hear Sam's response over the sudden roaring in his ears. He carefully took the gun out from under his jacket, and held it up to his brother, wincing with every movement. "Then here," he said. "Real bullets are gonna work a hell of a lot better than rock salt."

Sam hesitated, doubts forming inside his mind. Something didn't feel right about this. For an instant, something seemed to break through the red haze that was engulfing him. But it was only for a moment, and then Sam snatched the gun from Dean's fingers, dropping the other gun that was merely filled with rock salt, and aiming it at his brother.

"You hate me that much?" The pain in Dean's voice was obvious, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. He closed his eyes for a moment, but, when he opened them again, he didn't look into Sam's. He couldn't stand to see the hate there. "You think you can kill your own brother? Then go ahead. Pull the trigger."

Still, Sam hesitated, although he had no idea _why_.

"Do it!" Dean exclaimed.

Sam pulled the trigger, and Dean's body jerked as the bullet hit it. Blood splattered everywhere, and Dean let out an uncharacteristic low cry of pain. "God, Sammy…" he gasped.

Sam's finger started to tighten on the trigger again, but Dean's bloodied body was doing something to him. Horror was beginning to take the place of rage. The red haze was fading.

Leaving Sam with the terrible knowledge of the fact that he'd just shot his own brother… and possibly seriously wounded him.

In a rush of blue light, Ellicott fled from Sam's body, but quickly reformed in front of him, starting to reach with aged hands to touch his head, trying to possess him again. Sam recoiled sharply, but he didn't have to. A shot was fired from behind him over his shoulder, and it was enough to dematerialize the doctor, at least for a moment.

Sam whirled round to see who had fired the shot, and his eyes fell on Kat and her boyfriend – Gavin, wasn't it? Kat was the one who had fired the gun. Gavin was just standing there with a look of shock on his face, and Sam had a sudden, insane urge to laugh hysterically. Or cry.

Maybe both.

It was Dean's pained whisper that pulled Sam out of his momentary freeze: "Sam… the bones…"

Sam winced at hearing his brother's pain-filled voice, but addressed Kat and Gavin. "Can you… bandage his wounds, please?" he requested. "I need to…" His voice trailed off, and he turned away, unable to look at his brother any longer. He didn't deserve to look at Dean. He _had_ to make this right…

Where could the doctor's body be?

Gavin still seemed to be in shock, but Kat crouched down beside Dean, biting her lip slightly, reaching out to check his wound, and Gavin followed her lead. He also removed his coat to help Kat wrap it round the shot wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding. They tried to be as gentle as possible, but Dean still couldn't help the pain-filled gasps escaping his lips.

Sam still wouldn't look at his brother. He was concerned, of course he was – but it hurt too much to look at Dean and know that he was the one who had hurt him. He'd pulled that trigger.

And it didn't matter that Ellicott had possessed him at the time. It didn't excuse Sam's actions at all.

Besides, finding and burning the doctor's body was first priority right now. Then it was getting Dean to a hospital as quickly as possible. Everything else, even guilt-tripping, could come later. He really wished that he had some way of drowning out Dean's groans of pain, though…

"What happened?" Kat asked, pulling Sam out of his thoughts as the younger Winchester's eyes roved round, searching for the location of Ellicott's body. "He's been shot… Was it one of those ghosts?"

_She sounds really calm,_ Sam thought distantly as his eyes fell on a small storage cupboard. He envied her… She didn't feel like her entire world was crashing down around her.

Then again, Kat hadn't just shot her own brother…

"No, it wasn't a ghost," Sam replied as he walked over to the cupboard and crouched down to open it. He left his answer at that, partly because he couldn't form the words, 'I was the one who shot him', and partly because he needed to concentrate entirely on the task at hand.

Why wasn't Dean making any kind of sound now?

Sam opened the doors of the cupboard, and recoiled sharply, both because of the sight of the doctor's rotted body, and because of the stench of death that hit him in a full wave. It just wasn't something that one could get used to, no matter how many times he had smelt it before.

Sam doused the bones with gasoline, and then started to reach for his lighter, before he remembered that he wasn't carrying one. Dean was.

"There's a lighter… in Dean's pocket," Sam addressed Kat and Gavin. "Can you…" Abruptly, he was cut off by a scream, whether from Kat or Gavin, he wasn't sure. He whirled round, but couldn't bring himself to react to the sight in front of him. _I'm in shock,_ a part of him noted numbly.

Ellicott was leaning over Dean, with his hands pressed to the sides of the older brother's head. Dean was gasping and writhing, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and his nose.

Sam only stayed frozen for a moment, before yelling, "Dean!" He lunged at the doctor's ghost, not caring that his gun loaded with rock salt was still lying on the floor. All he could see was Dean's pale, drawn face. He wasn't moving anymore…

Sam just went straight through the spirit, and almost landed right on top of Dean. The only thing that stopped Sam from completely squashing his brother were his hands, which he'd shot out to keep his balance.

_Is Dean even still breathing? I can't tell…_

Sam was only dimly aware of Ellicott gathering himself together for another attack. The younger Winchester attempted to get up, but his entire body felt numb, and he collapsed again, nearly landing on top of Dean, but just managing to stop himself in time. Even so, Sam could still feel the blood from Dean's wounds soaking through his shirt…

Please _don't be dead, Dean… I couldn't live with the knowledge that I was the one who killed you._

Sam dimly heard the sound of someone screaming. Whatever Ellicott had done to him had twisted his mind somehow, he was sure of it, and the effects weren't leaving him. He'd have to look into the side effects of possession by ghosts… If they ever got out of this alive.

_All of these things we've hunted, and both our lives could be ended by the ghost of an old doctor._

Sam slowly became aware of Kat aiming the gun at Ellicott behind him… The younger Winchester desperately felt in Dean's jean pocket, almost crying with relief when his fingers closed around the solid metal of the lighter. He drew it out, even as Ellicott shot over his head in the direction of Gavin and Kat.

Kat, who was somehow still holding the gun, fired, and the ghost dissipated. Before he had a chance to reform, Sam ignited the lighter, and hurled it back over his shoulder in the direction of the bones, before covering his face with his arm and crouching down over Dean's limp body as the fire blasted.

Ellicott, who had been in the process of reforming, suddenly started to crumble, and then was simply gone, with no sign that he had ever been there.

Well, apart from the bones of his body that were burning, of course…

Sam could feel the heat from the blast that the fire had caused burning into his back, and knew that he would have to get up in a moment. Trouble was, his head was aching fiercely, and he wasn't sure he'd be _able_ to move.

_And if_ I'm _in a bad state, I can only imagine how Dean must be feeling… Please, whichever god or spirit is listening,_ please _let my brother live. _

_Even if you have to take_ my _life…_

"Is it over now?" Kat, her face streaked with dirt, crouched down next to Sam, shaking slightly, looking like she was starting to suffer from shock. Gavin seemed to already be there…

_Is it over now?_ "I hope so," Sam replied. With great effort, he carefully pushed himself up off of Dean, looking down at his brother's pale face. Dean's eyes were closed… He appeared to be unconscious. Or…

_No. Not dead. Dean's_ not _dead!_

"What are we going to say about what happened here?" Kat asked hesitantly, biting her lip slightly. She cast an uncertain glance at her boyfriend, who was finally starting to relax some now that most of the danger seemed to be past. "And Dean… He needs to go to the hospital, right?"

"Yeah." Sam stared down at Dean's body, and wiped his clammy hands on his shirt. He couldn't exactly break down, though. There had been many times that Dean had been strong for him, and now it was Sam's turn to be there for his brother. To do his best to make up for what he had just done. "And we're not going to say anything," Sam continued. "There's not much that'll connect us to this place."

"But…" Gavin began.

"Right now, it's more important to get my brother to a hospital," Sam cut him off. "And you two need to get home, really. If anyone _does_ come sniffing around asking questions, direct them to me." After all, the Winchesters were masters at deflecting awkward questions from officials.

"Thank you… for everything that you've done for us," Gavin said quietly.

"I wish that we knew a way of repaying you for what you did," Kat put in. She glanced worriedly at Dean. "Is he… all right?" she asked cautiously.

"He'll be fine," Sam replied, sounding much more confident than he really felt. "At least, if we can get him to the hospital." He glanced towards Gavin. "Can you give me a hand getting him to the car?" Sure, it probably would be easier to call an ambulance – but the fewer questions asked, the better. Besides, who knew how long it would take for it to get there? Sam could probably get his brother to the hospital in half the time.

"Um, sure." Gavin stood up at the same time as Sam did.

Sam checked to make sure that the makeshift bandage was still secure around Dean's body, before carefully picking his brother up, and slipping Dean's arm around his shoulder in an attempt to support him. Dean still hung rather dangerously, though. Gavin's support on the other side helped a little, but not much.

Still, it would have to do…

* * *

"Mr. Winchester?"

Sam looked up from the magazine he had been flicking through without really seeing anything, and stood up as his eyes fell on the doctor coming his way. He was trying really hard to stop himself from shaking, but wasn't having much luck. He knew that he was in shock still, but he couldn't exactly worry about that right now. His brother's safety was much more important, and came before anything else.

Please _give me some good news,_ the younger Winchester begged silently. _Don't let Dean die. I'll do_ anything _to save him._

"Mr. Winchester?" the doctor said again, and Sam nodded in acknowledgement, but waited for the doctor to give him the news. He didn't trust himself to speak…

It was probably a sign of how worried and frightened Sam was that he hadn't given a fake name to the hospital. It hadn't even occurred to him that Dean Winchester was technically registered dead. The hospital didn't

seem to have looked at any death certificates, though…

Probably because they weren't expecting a registered dead person to be brought into the hospital…

The doctor hesitated a moment, as if he was wondering how best to word what he was going to say. Then, he explained, "We were able to operate on your brother and remove the bullet and all of the rock salt that was in his chest…"

"But…?" Sam prompted, knowing that there was a 'but' coming. He couldn't let go of the fear, and he felt rather faint. _Maybe I'd better sit down to hear this,_ he thought. Then again, Sam _was_ really worried about Dean. It was taking everything that he had not to simply shove past the doctor and rush to his brother's side.

"I'm afraid that Dean Winchester took quite a shock," the doctor admitted, the expression on his face sympathetic. "He's fallen into a coma…"

Sam stared at the doctor in shock. He was saying something else, but the younger Winchester couldn't hear it above the sudden roaring in his ears. He stumbled slightly, and had to grab onto the reception desk in order to steady himself. _Dean…in a coma? It's not possible!_ It had to be some kind of a trick, right?

Except… It obviously wasn't. The doctor's face was obviously serious, and was now concerned as well as sympathetic. Sam wanted to straighten up, to rush to his brother, but he had the feeling that his legs wouldn't support him if he let go of the desk, so he held onto it, at least for now.

"Mr. Winchester?" The doctor's voice abruptly became clear. "Are you all right? Do you need to sit down?"

"No…" Sam mumbled, closing his eyes for a moment, and struggling to get a grip. He knew pretty much what his brother would say if Dean could see how he was acting right now. He'd accuse him of being too sensitive, of letting his emotions run ragged. He'd claim that Sam was trying to turn it into a chick flick moment, and tell him he was having none of it.

But Sam couldn't help it…

_Damn it, Dean… I can't lose you as well. I_ won't _lose you as well. People have woken up from comas before, right? _

_But the fact that Dean's even_ in _a coma at all is a bad thing…_

"No…" Sam said again, making a huge effort to calm himself down, and pushed himself off the reception desk. "I'm fine… I just need to see my brother, please." He wouldn't be of any use to Dean at all if he just lost control of himself.

"Yes, of course…" The doctor frowned a little, not looking very convinced by Sam's assertion that he was fine. Then again, he _had_ just been told that his brother was in a coma. People tended to react quite badly to news like that. "If you'll just follow me…" He turned to lead the way to the room that Dean had been put in. "I _would_ like to know what happened to him…" he continued. "Was he mugged or something similar? And what about the rock salt? I haven't heard of people using rock salt to harm before."

"I don't really know what happened," Sam said. In a way, that _was_ true. Sam had _been_ there, but he could hardly believe the hatred he'd felt towards his own brother. He loved Dean – he'd die for his older brother – how quickly had that love been turned to hate? How had it even been possible?

And if Dean woke up, would he ever believe that Sam would never have tried to kill him had he not been possessed?

_Not if,_ when Sam mentally scolded himself. Dean would wake up. He _had_ to wake up, otherwise how would Sam deal with things? His brother had always been there for him, no matter what. If Dean was taken away from him as well, how could he go on living? He wasn't strong enough…

As the doctor led Sam into the room, the younger Winchester couldn't help a gasp from escaping him at the sight of Dean lying pale and still in the bed, hooked up to the life support machine. Sam felt tears pricking at his eyes as he sat down on the chair next to his brother's bed, and reached out to place his hand over Dean's. "God, Dean…" _I'm so sorry…_

"How likely is it that he'll wake up from this coma?" Sam asked, without looking up at the doctor. His eyes were on Dean's face, as he silently prayed to whichever gods or spirits watched over them to let his brother wake up, to let him be all right.

But Dean remained pale and still.

"It's difficult to say," the doctor admitted. "A lot of it depends on whether his brain is damaged in any way. We'll need to run tests to check on that. At this stage, I can't say anything for certain."

Sam fell silent, and just sat on the chair next to Dean's bed, his hand clasped over his brother's, as he tried to work out just how he would be able to bring Dean back.

Maybe he _should_ look into the issue of possession and its side effects… If it could help save his brother's life, Sam would do _anything_.

* * *

Dean slowly stirred, and groaned softly, putting a hand to his forehead. _Wow… Bad hangover._ His head was pounding so violently that the older Winchester brother was half-afraid that it was going to fall off. For a moment, he just lay still with his eyes closed, trying to get rid of the nausea that was threatening to overwhelm him.

_What happened…?_ The last thing that Dean could remember was Sam, his own brother, shooting him in the chest, first with rock salt, and then again with proper bullets.

_Shit… Does this mean that I'm dead?_

Dean couldn't hear anything that suggested his brother might be nearby, and, as far as he could tell, he wasn't lying on anything but a floor. An apparently well-carpeted floor, but still…

Dean finally decided that he wasn't going to find out anything by keeping his eyes firmly closed. So, with a great effort, he forced his eyes open, and winced as the first sight that greeted him was an empty wine bottle. Trouble was, unless he had been _really_ out of it the previous night, he was pretty sure that he hadn't touched a drop of alcohol.

In fact, Dean was pretty sure that he hadn't left the asylum at all, which really only went to prove his whole being dead theory.

_Trouble is… Death isn't supposed to hurt this much, right?_

A glance around the room he was in revealed to Dean that he was laying on the floor in the hallway of an apartment. For some reason, the place seemed somehow familiar to him, but the older Winchester brother couldn't quite place it…

Wincing, Dean pushed himself to his feet. His chest felt pretty sore, though a hand pressed lightly there revealed that there wasn't actually any injuries there at the moment. Purely psychological, then… Dean wished that he knew what had been the cause of him coming here and apparently healed, though.

He wasn't going to put his trust in something, or some_one_, that he didn't even recognise…

Dean quite quickly realised another problem – he couldn't see Sam anywhere.

"SAM!" Dean yelled, looking around in a panic, forgetting momentarily about the fact that Sam had, although possessed, shot him full of rock salt, and then shot him with a real gun.

_It was all_ my _fault for handing the gun over to him in the first place…_ But Dean had _trusted_ Sam, had believed strongly that his brother would _never_ turn against him like that, would never hate him. It was possibly the worst torture that could be devised for the older Winchester – to cause his brother to turn against him.

To know that he had failed in his duty as older brother…

_I could be brave with a ton of demons and spirits, but do anything to either of my family that I have left, and I'll revert back to a helpless child, unable to do anything other than cling to what little light's left._

Dean rested his hand on the wall as he started to move off further down the hall. However, his sharp ears, finely tuned by years of hunting, caught the sound of the front door being unlocked. Dean whirled round, ready to confront whoever was coming through the door, just in case they were some kind of threat.

But the sight that greeted Dean as he turned abruptly pushed him into believing even stronger that he was dead…


	2. Chapter 2

**Coma**

**Chapter Two**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Supernatural, and I'm not making any money from this fic. Any characters that you don't recognise from the show, I probably own.

Thanks goes to everyone who's reviewed the first chapter of this – every review I get is great, and it means a lot to know that people are enjoying this.

Thanks also to horrorgoddess for betaing this for me.

**Brief recap of first chapter:** Dean handed Sam a loaded gun, and Sam shot him. Ellicott released the control over Sam, and Sam burned the doctor's bones, before rushing his brother to the hospital, where it was revealed that Dean had slipped into a coma. Dean seems to be in a strange apartment, faced with the very real possibility that he could be dead, or at least dying.

* * *

_Are you dreaming, Dean?_ Sam wondered, staring at the pale face of his older brother. _Do people in comas actually dream?_ If it had been anyone else lying in that bed hooked up to all of those machines, Sam might have found the idea of testing that when the person woke up interesting.

But now, it was just another obstacle in the way of his brother waking up…

_I'm sorry, Dean. I wish there was some way of letting you know how sorry I am. You _have_ to wake up. You're the only thing I have left – I can't lose you. It would destroy me._

Sam knew that with a certainty. Since Jessica's death, the only thing holding him together had been Dean. His brother was the only constant left in Sam's life. Without their Dad, the only thing the brothers had left was each other.

The thought of losing Dean was positively terrifying…

_Just sitting here doing nothing isn't going to help matters any, though,_ Sam thought. Trouble was, he knew that the doctor was just waiting for him to recover from discovering that Dean was in a coma to find out what had happened.

And Sam wasn't exactly feeling up to trying to answer any awkward questions.

But just staying in the hospital wasn't going to help Dean at all. Sam was going to _have_ to leave his brother alone eventually, and, even though he didn't want to, he was going to have to answer those questions sooner or later.

And sooner would probably be better…

Making his decision, Sam stood up. "I'll be back soon, Dean," he told the unconscious form of his brother.

_If there's even a _chance_ that Dean will be able to hear me…_

Sam didn't know if people in comas were still able to hear things, but he wanted to be able to hope. At least the doctor had said that there didn't seem to be any kind of brain damage. Dean's brain was still active.

Right now, Sam wasn't sure which would be best. He didn't know if he could take much more of this waiting and worrying. He knew that he couldn't just lose hope, but it was difficult to keep holding on.

_If our situations were reversed, Dean would never give up on _me

But then, Dean had always been the strongest. He was the older brother, the protector. Sam wasn't going to be able to go on without Dean around. He wasn't strong enough – he needed his family, at least what was left of it.

_I'm going to help you, Dean. I swear it. I'll bring you back._

"Mr. Winchester?" the doctor spoke up from behind Sam. "Are you ready to answer a few questions now?"

_I must be getting rusty,_ Sam thought as he turned round to face the doctor. _I didn't even hear him enter the room._ "Yeah, I guess so," the younger Winchester answered. Refusing to answer any questions _now_ wouldn't help Dean at all – in fact, it would likely make things even worse.

"Then maybe you could explain _this_?" the doctor suggested, passing a sheet of paper towards Sam. "I checked hospital records. This came through from St. Louis."

_Oh, great,_ Sam thought, suddenly having a nagging suspicion. A glance down at the paper revealed that his suspicions were correct. The words 'Dean Winchester' and 'Died on March 7 2006' just seemed to jump out at him.

_So much for the hope that they wouldn't actually check other hospital records._

"I don't know what to tell you," Sam replied, trying his hardest to keep his voice sounding level and calm. "I guess there must have been another Dean Winchester living or staying in St. Louis." Sam _really_ wished that Dean was awake and all right. Sure, he had experience with lying and making up stories – but he was nowhere near as good at it as his brother.

Dean always seemed to _enjoy_ making up all of those stories. To him, it seemed like the more outrageous the story was, the better.

"I suppose so," the doctor said, giving a slight nod. He took the sheet of paper from Sam's unresisting hands, and folded it up, tucking it away. The doctor then stepped over to check on the machines that Dean was hooked up to. "You know that he was wanted by the police for several murders?"

Sam shrugged, even though the doctor couldn't see it. "No, I didn't know that," he lied. After all, what else could he say? That he knew full well that Dean had been wanted for murder, since a shapeshifter had stolen his form?

_I'd get locked up in a psychiatric hospital, and then who would be able to help Dean?_

"The police are going to want to question you," the doctor said as he finished up checking on Dean's vitals. "I have told them that it hasn't been a good idea to bother you so far, but I doubt they'll be willing to wait much longer."

"It's all right," Sam responded, his voice sounding hollow even to his ears. "I don't mind talking to them." _I just need to get my story straight, and find out how much they already know,_ he added silently. _Oh, and also whether or not they've found out about Kat and Gavin's involvement._

"Right." The doctor gave a single nod. "I can let them know that you're ready to talk. You can talk to them either in here, or perhaps the cafeteria would be more comfortable for you?"

_No way am I gonna talk to the police in here, where it's possible that Dean will be able to hear us,_ Sam thought. Out loud, he said, "Yes, the cafeteria would be fine, but could you please ask the officers to wait for a little while longer? There are a couple of phone calls I need to make."

"Of course, it's not a problem," the doctor replied. "But if you're using a cell phone as opposed to the pay phone, please take it outside the building."

"Yes, I know," Sam said, only just managing to avoid adding in a snapping tone, _I _do_ realise that! It's not like I'm stupid!_

"All right," the doctor responded. "I'll send one of the nurses in to keep an eye on your brother. If you're just going to be outside the hospital, I'll make sure that someone comes out to let you know if anything changes."

"Thank you." Sam stared at Dean's pale face for a moment, before realising that just standing around doing nothing wasn't going to get his brother up and about any sooner. Besides, at the very least, he needed to let their Dad know. John Winchester was a hard man to track down – but surely he'd come if he knew that Dean's life was in very real danger?

He _had_ to come…

With great effort, Sam wrenched his eyes from his brother's face, and then turned and all but ran from the room, moving as quickly as he could down the corridor, through the waiting room, past the reception desk, and out of the double doors.

The fresh air hit him in the face like a slap.

Sam paused, blinking a couple of times while his eyes adjusted to the sunlight. He didn't have any intention of staying outside for long. In fact, if he had his way, he wouldn't leave Dean's side at all. It was only because there might just be the chance that he'd be able to help his brother that he was even here at all.

With trembling fingers, Sam took his cell phone out of his pocket, and, after a moment's fumbling, was able to switch it on. There were no messages – of course there weren't. No one but Sam – and Kat and Gavin – knew about what had occurred in the asylum. And Sam wouldn't blame Kat and Gavin for wanting to forget everything that had happened. _He_ wanted to forget it, after all. But he couldn't, of course. He had committed the gravest sin, and now he had to make it right.

Sam dialled the number of his Dad's cell phone – which he had long since committed to memory, although he had always avoided using it. Not because he didn't want to talk to his father, but because he wasn't sure that John Winchester really wanted to hear from his youngest son.

Especially considering the argument they had had the day Sam had left for Stanford…

As expected, Sam only got his father's voicemail. Would it kill his Dad to answer his phone once in a while? What _was_ their Dad doing that was so important? That meant that he'd severed almost all contact with his sons?

Sam sighed as he listened to the recorded message. Then, when the beep sounded, the younger Winchester took a moment to gather himself together, to steel himself for what he had to say.

"Dad… It's Sam."

There was another pause, and Sam dashed a hand angrily across his eyes, not wanting to give in to the tears that pricked at his eyes. He took a deep breath, and continued, trying to sound calm, "Remember those co-ordinates you sent us? Well, we went there, and that doctor possessed me. Dad, I… I shot Dean." There, he'd said it. And he was ashamed to find himself crying as the flood of words continued: "I didn't mean it, I swear. But Dean… he's in a coma. Dad… Please. I… Dean needs you. He may not survive…"

Sam fell silent again, and, when he finally spoke again, it was to whisper one last word: "Please." Then, he simply disconnected the call.

For a moment, Sam just stood there, wiping ineffectively at the tears that were still streaming down his cheeks. He deserved to feel like this. He deserved to suffer, but nothing could make up for the fact that he'd shot his own brother. Nothing could match the suffering he was sure that Dean must be feeling.

_God, Dean… I can't do this without you. You _have_ to be all right, please._

The sound of his cell phone ringing abruptly tore Sam from his thoughts. For a moment, the younger Winchester just stood there, registering the sound of the phone. _Dad?_

The moment the thought entered his mind, though, Sam quickly discarded it. No way would his father be calling, and especially not this soon after Sam had left him a message. But the incessant ringing of the phone was demanding the young man's attention, and Sam finally answered it.

"Hello?"

"Sam, honey, is that you?" Missouri's concerned voice came over the line.

_Missouri!_ Sam gripped the phone tightly, so tightly it was a surprise the phone didn't end up shattering. "How… How did you know to call?" he asked, hating the way that his voice shook. He was closer to falling apart than he'd really thought…

"Someone's looking out for you and your brother," the woman replied. "And, boy, you'd better not give up, you hear? Your brother needs you to be strong right now. He doesn't need you to lose control and lose hope."

"I know." Sam's hand tightened around his cell phone, as if that was some kind of substitute for his brother's hand. "Do you know anything about Dad? You haven't heard from him at all?" Sam didn't know why he was asking Missouri this – he guessed that the questions needed to come out somewhere.

Missouri was silent for a long moment, and, when she finally spoke, it wasn't really to answer Sam's question. "Your Dad really should be there with you and your brother. You're a family, you belong together."

Sam's heart sank. "He hasn't contacted you then, I guess." _Is this how Dean feels all the time when dealing with me? Like the weight of the world is resting on his shoulders?_

"Sam, your brother loves you very much," Missouri said, probably reading the younger Winchester's feelings even over the phone. "I know that you're blaming yourself, sweetie – but Dean knows you enough to know that you didn't mean the most important thing, and as for the rest? Well, you'll be able to work all of that up once he wakes up."

"He _will_ wake up, won't he?" Sam didn't even care about the pleading note in his voice. He was clinging to Missouri and her comforting voice as if the woman was some kind of rock. What he really wanted to do was ask Missouri if she could come down to Illinois, but he was pretty sure that the psychic had a lot on. Besides, it wouldn't be fair for Sam to try and foist his responsibility off on someone else.

He had made this mess, and now he had to make everything right. It was his duty, his responsibility.

No one else's.

"You can't take the weight of everything on your shoulders, Sam," Missouri warned, though her voice sounded gentle. "Your brother wouldn't want that for you."

"Dean… Dean takes too much on himself anyway…" Sam whispered, moving to lean against the wall, and casting a nervous glance back over his shoulder at the hospital doors. No one had come out to give him any news. _Hell, what I wouldn't _give_ for some good news._

"Sam!" Missouri exclaimed.

"There should be a rule against psychics being able to listen to thoughts over the phone," Sam muttered. Already, though, he was beginning to feel a little better. Listening to Missouri and knowing that there was at least one other person who could understand what he was going through was enabling him to get some control over the panic at least.

"That's better," Missouri said, and Sam didn't know whether she was referring to what he'd said or what he'd thought.

_It doesn't matter either way,_ he decided.

"I'll call up some people I know, and will come up there to be with you and your brother in the next couple of days," Missouri continued, as if they had just been discussing her coming up.

"What?" Sam was startled in silence for a moment. When he found his voice again, he said, "You, you don't have to do that." Actually, truth be told, Missouri's comment had filled the younger Winchester with an almost powerful relief. Of course, then he felt immediately guilty for feeling relieved. It wasn't like he deserved things to be made easier for him.

"Yes, Sam, I do," Missouri replied, her tone serious. "Right now, your brother needs all the help he can get. And, well, there are some things I need to tell you that it would be better to say in person. You can pick me up at the airport," she went on. "I will call you tomorrow to let you know what time and what flight I will be on."

"But…" Sam couldn't manage more than a token protest, though. As much as he was ashamed to admit it, he really did want someone to take over, to tell him that things were going to be all right. To be in charge. Because it had always been Dean before, and Sam didn't know how strong he could be.

_Compared to Dad and Dean, I'm weak…_

"Sam Winchester, you are certainly _not_ weak!" Missouri exclaimed. "And don't let me hear you thinking anything like that again! Your Dad doesn't think that, and neither does your brother. Don't make me bring my spoon up with me when I come," she threatened.

Sam couldn't help a small sound that was half-laugh half-sob escape him at the psychic's words. There was something about Missouri. Even though he and Dean had only briefly met her when they went back to their old house, Sam at least found himself able to trust her. "Ok, ok," Sam said. "Sorry. I promise I'll try not to think about the fact that, compared to my Dad and brother, I'm weak." _At least not where you can hear me,_ he added silently.

"Well, I'll give you a call tomorrow to make arrangements," Missouri said, either not reading Sam's thoughts, or just ignoring them. "You take care of yourself, Sam. And make sure you don't lose hope."

"I'll do my best," Sam replied, letting out his breath in a soft sigh. "What time are you gonna call? I'll make sure I'm out of the hospital and with my cell phone on."

"Don't you worry about a thing, Sam," Missouri answered. "I'll make sure I get you at an appropriate time." Without waiting for any kind of response, the female psychic simply disconnected the call.

Sam stared at his cell phone for a long moment. Then, he switched it off, and tucked it away again. For a moment, he stared out over the hospital grounds, and then turned to go back inside, knocking into a dark-haired young woman who had been hurrying in the direction of the hospital.

There was a startled exclamation as the books the woman was carrying thudded to the ground.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Sam crouched down to help the woman pick up the books. "I wasn't paying attention." He handed the books back to the woman, and straightened up, holding a hand out to help her to her feet as well.

"It's all right." The woman took Sam's hand, and climbed to her feet. "I probably should have been looking where I was going. Trouble is, I'm late. My lunch break overran."

"You work here?" Sam tried to sound interested, but he was really just restless to get back to his brother. Anything that cut short the time he could spend with his brother was a threat. Losing Dean was a very real fear, and Sam couldn't let go of the possible thought that his brother would slip away while Sam wasn't there.

"Well, I do voluntary work here," the woman answered. "And, of course, I'm late. So, if you don't mind." She turned to walk through the hospital door.

"No. And I'm going this way, anyway." Sam moved forward to hold the door open for the woman.

"Thanks." The woman stepped through, and started to carry the books over to the reception desk. Then, she paused, and turned to face Sam with a smile. "It was nice bumping into you."

"Yeah…" Sam said vaguely, feeling unable to return the smile. As the woman turned to talk to the receptionist, the younger Winchester made his way back to the room, back to his brother.

And to the questions from the police…

* * *

Dean watched wide-eyed as a familiar blonde stepped through the door. The older Winchester brother's first instinct was to turn and run from the room before she saw him. After all, this woman had been killed by the same demon that had murdered his Mom twenty-two years ago.

And Dean didn't have any kind of weapon on him…

However, as the woman turned from the door, Dean couldn't stop himself from saying her name: "Jessica…"

His voice was barely above a whisper, but Jessica apparently still heard him. She looked in Dean's direction, and smiled, not looking scared to see him there. "Hi, Dean," she said. "What's up?"

"…" Dean just stared at Jessica, unable to really register what he was seeing. _This _has_ to mean that I'm dead, right!_ The thought terrified him, because, if he was dead, then there was no one to take care of Sam. And his Dad wouldn't even know that his older son was dead… He would just carry on hunting.

Jessica blinked, her expression confused, apparently wondering just why she wasn't getting an answer. "Dean?"

Dean opened his mouth to say something, _anything_, but before he could, he noticed two things. Firstly, that Jessica had left the front door open. Secondly, that someone else was coming through the door. No, actually, make that _two_ someones.

The first was a small, delicate-looking girl with red hair and a face that was more cute than pretty. The second was…

"Sam!" Dean exclaimed, taking a step back, suddenly feeling even more scared. If he was dead, and was in heaven – or even hell – then what was his brother doing here? Well, unless it was hell, and the gods – whoever they were – had decided to put his brother there in order to further torture him.

"Hey, Dean." The confused expression on Sam's face almost mirrored Jessica's. "Is something wrong? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

_That's because I _have Dean thought, narrowing his eyes slightly. "What am I doing here?" he demanded. "And for that matter, what is _she_ doing here?" He gestured towards Jessica, still keeping well back.

There was, of course, the other possibility – that demons were doing this. Dean didn't know all of the different types of demons that there were, but he was willing to bet that there were some with the ability to mimic the forms of people who were both dead and alive.

Given some of the possible alternatives that Dean was coming up with, that one was almost preferable.

"What are you talking about?" Jessica asked. "I live here… _We_ live here." She gestured with one hand to Sam and the other woman.

"Dean?" The woman walked over, and reached out to touch his arm, but the older Winchester brother flinched back automatically, and she took a step back. "Are you all right? Did you have too much to drink or something?" She wrinkled her nose slightly, and gave a glance round the room.

"Who are you?" Dean demanded, watching the woman distrustfully.

"Do you have amnesia or something?" Sam asked, narrowing his eyes a little. "That's Amber – your girlfriend, remember?"

"I don't _have_ a girlfriend!" Dean responded. _Well, there was always Cassie,_ he added silently. He turned to the woman – Amber, or whoever. "Look, you're cute and all, but not really my type." Then, he looked at Sam. "Listen, Sammy, the last thing I remember is us being in that asylum, and those two kids. Oh, and let's not forget the crazy doctor." Since this was all some kind of trick, or whatever, it hardly mattered just what he said in front of Jessica and Amber.

"Huh?" Amber looked between the brothers, her expression filled with confusion, and also a look on her face as if she thought that Dean was insane.

Dean didn't really care what the strange woman thought, though…

Jessica looked just as confused, and she glanced at Sam, as if to ask him what to do. Dean followed the line of her gaze.

The look on Sam's face was the worst.

There was no recognition of what Dean was talking about in his brother's eyes. Instead, Sam took a step forward, and grasped Dean's arm. "Listen, Dean, I think we need to get you to the hospital," he said. "You seem to be delirious or something, _and_ you probably have partial amnesia, or whatever it's called."

Dean immediately tore his arm from his brother's grip. "There's nothing wrong with me!" he snapped. "I'm telling you, I want to know what happened!"

"You've probably had way too much to drink," Sam said in an infuriatingly calm voice. He closed his hand around Dean's arm again, and started to steer him towards the stairs. "Let's get you cleaned up and to the hospital. At the very least, we should make sure there's nothing wrong with you. Maybe you hit your head or something?"

Dean's protests that he was fine and that there was nothing wrong with him continued even as Sam steered his brother up the stairs.

Amber lingered, glancing towards Jessica, who was looking around as though searching for something. "Jess?"

Jessica smiled at Amber. "You should go with them," she said. "After all, Dean's your boyfriend."

"I guess…" Amber stayed where she was for a moment longer, and then turned to head up the stairs after the Winchester brothers.

Once Amber was out of sight, Jessica moved over to one of the small tables in the hallway. There was an empty beer bottle next to it, but Jessica didn't look at that. Instead, she crouched down, and reached out to pick up something that had rolled under the table. For a long moment, she just looked at it.

It was an empty pill bottle…


	3. Chapter 3

**Coma**

**Chapter Three**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Supernatural, and I'm not making any money from this fic. The characters Amber and the as of yet unnamed volunteer at the hospital do belong to me, though.

Again, thank you for the reviews I've been getting for this – it's always with a mixture of excitement and dread that I open one in my inbox, because I never know if it's going to be good or bad. But people seem to be enjoying this so far, and that's good .

Also, thanks to horrorgoddess once again for betaing.

There is some bad language in this. You have been warned.

**Brief recap of previous chapter:** The doctor confronted Sam about Dean Winchester's death certificate, and Sam lied and said he didn't know anything about it. Sam then agreed to talk to the police, but went out of the hospital first to make a heartrending phone call to his Dad. Then, he got a call from Missouri, who told him that she was going to be arriving in order to help with Dean and also to tell Sam something.  
Meanwhile, Dean found himself face to face with Jessica, and, if that wasn't bad enough, he also met an apparently alternate version of Sam, and was told that he had a girlfriend. Sam took Dean upstairs to get him cleaned up, and Jessica then found an empty pill bottle near where Dean had been lying on the floor…

* * *

When Sam entered the hospital room again, the doctor hadn't come back, but a female nurse was bending over his brother's limp form, apparently in order to check on how Dean was doing. The younger Winchester closed the door quietly behind him, and stepped up to the nurse's side. "How is he doing?" he asked, not really caring about the fact that he was probably going to startle the nurse.

The nurse jerked slightly as Sam spoke, and looked up at him with wide eyes. "Oh, you startled me!" she exclaimed.

Under any other circumstances, Sam would probably have apologised. But, right now, he was too worried about his brother to bother about being polite. "How is Dean doing?" he repeated, narrowing his eyes slightly. All of Sam's thoughts were centred on one thing and one thing only.

Getting his brother to wake up.

The nurse straightened up, glancing at Sam, her face expressionless. "There's been no change," she replied. "His condition hasn't worsened in any way."

_But he still won't wake up,_ Sam thought, turning his gaze towards Dean's still form. _His condition may not be worse… But it's not better, either._ "Is there nothing more that the doctor can tell me?" he asked out loud.

"You'll have to take that up with Doctor Nelson," the nurse answered, her tone cool and professional, as well as detached.

_She's seen this too many times before… She's become numb to the pain that's caused by a loved one hurting._

Sam didn't need to be psychic to see that. Although, since he _was_ psychic – or something similar – it would be good if he could read the doctor's mind, and find out if there was something he wasn't being told. However, he wasn't sure if he would be able to cope with what he might find there.

_Damn it… I should have thought about proper training! Maybe even seen if Missouri could teach me a thing or two!_ Of course, he could always ask Missouri about it when he picked her up from the airport – but, well, it would be a bit late then, wouldn't it? Maybe Missouri would be able to read the doctor's mind and find out the information that Sam needed to know…

Sam wasn't sure how he had been able to see the identity of the other ghost in the house he and his family had lived in before. How had he been able to recognise a woman he knew only from pictures and what Dean had told him about her? Sam didn't know – but it didn't matter. If his powers enabled him to see the identity of a ghost, then surely he could use them to discover something about his brother's condition?

Sam was abruptly pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of the door being opened behind him. He turned round to see Doctor Nelson enter the hospital room.

"Mr. Winchester?" the doctor spoke up, after casting a quick glance at the nurse. "Are you all right to answer the questions of the police now?"

What Sam _really_ wanted to do was stay with Dean for a while, and just keep an eye on his brother. However, he knew full well that he was going to have to answer the questions sooner or later, and he _had_ already said that he was willing to answer those questions. Besides, no matter how much time passed before he spoke to the police, Sam was hardly going to come with a story that was any better.

_I'll just hope that they haven't found out about the asylum or Gavin and Kat,_ Sam thought. _Guess I'll just have to pump them for information, same as they'll be doing to me._ The Winchesters were certainly good at pumping for information. It was one of the things that enabled them to be so successful at hunting.

"Yes, I'm ready," Sam spoke out loud, as he realised that Doctor Nelson was waiting for an answer. "Just, could you please…?" Sam's eyes moved towards the still form of his older brother. _I really don't want to leave him…_

"Yes, of course I'll have someone let you know if anything changes," Doctor Nelson answered, nodding slightly. "I told the police that you would prefer to talk to them in the cafeteria. They're waiting for you there. Since it's past lunch break, it's closed to hospital staff right now."

Sam nodded once, casting another glance towards Dean, and biting his lip as his brother's pale face filled his vision once more. Then, he turned on his heel, and stalked out of the door, only just resisting the urge to slam it shut behind him. It might make him feel better to do so, but certainly wouldn't endear him to anyone.

Sam hadn't asked for directions to the cafeteria – but then, he didn't need to. All he had to do was follow the signs, and they led him back past the reception desk, where the dark-haired volunteer was leaning, talking to the receptionist. _Thought that she was supposed to be working,_ Sam thought as he caught a few little uninteresting snippets of their conversation. It wasn't like work hours were any of his business, though…

As Sam passed the dark-haired volunteer, he felt her fingers lightly brush against his as she slipped a folded piece of paper into his hand. Sam frowned, and started to turn, but the woman wasn't even looking at him, seemingly caught up in her conversation with the receptionist, who was apparently oblivious to everything else going on around her. At least, that was the impression she gave.

Sam started walking again. He didn't unfold the paper, simply slipped it into his pocket in order to look at it later. It probably wasn't anything very important anyway. More than likely, she was giving him her number.

_You'd like this hospital, Dean,_ Sam thought, as he went through the cafeteria doors, ignoring the laminated sign that said 'Closed'. _Plenty of 'hot' women for you to chat up if you were awake._

He _really_ needed to stop torturing himself like this…

The two men sitting at the table nearest the door weren't dressed in uniform, but it was pretty obvious that they were police officers. They had that 'look' about them. Standing nearby was a man who looked like a doctor – he was probably off duty, and was waiting to make sure no one tried to come into the cafeteria.

Sam fought down the urge to scream at the doctor, to demand why he wasn't working as hard as he could to make Dean better, and made his way over to the three men.

"Mr. Winchester?" the doctor questioned, glancing towards Sam.

Sam fought down a flash of anger that he knew was irrational. He knew that there was no way the doctor could have known what he looked like, and yet he _still_ thought that the doctor should make the effort to know who the person whose brother was in a coma was.

_Because of_ me

"That's me," Sam Winchester replied, nodding first to the doctor and then to the police officers. "Sam Winchester." He realised that he should probably have gone by one of the many assumed names, but it was too late for that now.

_I'll just hope that they haven't liaised with the police in St. Louis,_ Sam thought. The last thing he needed was to have to explain why Dean Winchester was alive and not in prison.

_Somehow, I don't think they'll buy the whole shapeshifter explanation._

"Can we see some ID?" the officer on the right asked in a gruff voice.

"Yes, of course." Sam fumbled for his wallet, relieved for the compartment in Dean's car where the rest of the badges were hidden. And the police couldn't search it without a warrant… Still, his hands were trembling as he pulled his ID out. Whether with rage or fear, or something else, he didn't know.

As Sam proffered the card, both officers took a good look at it. Then, the one on the left – who looked big enough to be in very real danger of breaking the chair he was seated on – glanced over at the doctor. "Could you make sure that no one disturbs us, please?" he requested in a smooth, cultured voice.

The doctor nodded, although the expression on his face seemed to suggest that he had little time for this, and walked towards the door.

Once the doctor had left the cafeteria, the officer on the right gestured towards the opposite chair. "Please have a seat," he offered politely.

Sam wasn't fooled. It might be taking place in a hospital rather than a police station, but this was still going to be an interrogation. The two men were going to be doing their best to get as much information out of the younger Winchester as possible.

Sam would just have to make sure he didn't let slip any more information than he was willing to.

The younger Winchester slid awkwardly into the chair, his eyes moving between the two officers, careful to keep his expression neutral.

_See? I'm not a threat._

"How can I help you, officers?" Sam questioned, the tone of his voice polite, but just as neutral as his expression. "I _would_ like to make sure my brother's condition doesn't get any worse." It was the truth, of course – and also gave Sam an excuse to leave if the questions got a little too close to home.

"Yes, I understand that," the left officer said. "I'm Officer Hopkins, and this is Officer Willis. We already know who you are."

"Of course," Sam murmured, and then waited for them to continue with his head tilted to the side. He was too tired and heartsick to think up any further questions right now. _Dean would tell me that I should take care of myself and get some rest,_ he thought wryly. Trouble was, with Dean in a coma, Sam simply couldn't be bothered to take proper care of himself.

Besides, he didn't want to experience any more nightmares… And Sam was pretty sure that he wouldn't just be dreaming about Jessica dying…

"Your brother was brought into the hospital with rock salt embedded in the chest and a gunshot wound," Officer Willis said, as if Sam wasn't aware of Dean's injuries.

"We would like to know what happened," Officer Hopkins said. "If it was a mugging or something… Well, we need to know whether we need to warn people to be careful about staying out after dark."

"It was a mugging," Sam responded, drawing on all of the skills he had learned in order to tell a plausible lie. "I'm not really sure what happened… Everything just seemed to move too fast. The guy just leaped out and threatened us. I guess he got freaked or something when Dean collapsed, because then he ran off."

The officers exchanged glances, and then Office Willis asked, "And what about the rock salt embedded in your brother's chest?"

Sam shrugged. "I think the creep used two guns – if one of them was loaded with rock salt, it was probably because he was just trying to scare people." Mentally, the younger Winchester crossed his fingers. _When lying, always make sure you stick to the truth where possible. That way, there's less chance of being caught out…_ Well, that was the way Sam thought.

Dean had never been that careful…

The officers exchanged another glance, and Sam wondered how long they had known each other for. The two seemed to not even need words to communicate. Even to Sam's eye, they seemed more like brothers than simply partners – but it was clearly events and mutual respect that bound them together, since something told him that they weren't related to each other at all.

_And blood is supposed to be thicker than water…_

Finally, the officers seemed to come to some kind of agreement. "Thank you for your time," Officer Hopkins said as he and his partner stood up. "Please let us know if you think of anything else." He pushed a card with a telephone number on it across the table.

Sam picked it up with slightly nerveless fingers, feeling drained, and a little nauseous. He had no idea of whether the officers believed him or not. He was just so tired of it all… He had shot his own brother, and he knew that he deserved to suffer for what he had done, but, oh god, please not this. Not losing Dean. Dean didn't deserve to die. Why did the innocent always have to suffer for what the guilty had done?

Sam turned away with eyes that were damp with tears, heading back towards the cafeteria door, barely able to see where he was going because of how blurred his vision was. As he stumbled back along the corridor to his brother's room, he shoved the card into his pocket, forgetting for the time being about the piece of paper he had already shoved in there…

* * *

"Damn it, Sammy, there's nothing wrong with me!"

"It's _Sam_," the object of Dean's ire responded in an infuriatingly calm voice. "And there's clearly something wrong with you. Dude, don't think I didn't notice the empty beer bottle. How much did you have to drink last night? Did you just happen to forget completely about the big test we have tomorrow?"

"_Test_!" Dean's eyes widened. "Fuck, Sammy, what are you talking about!"

Sam stared at Dean. "There's something really wrong with you, isn't there? And stop calling me Sammy! I'm not a kid anymore, Dean!"

Unable to help himself, Dean smirked, happy to see that some things at least had remained the same. Then, as he looked around the room that was apparently 'his', he let out a groan. "Oh, come on – this is _so_ not my room. I'm nowhere near this messy."

"Hate to break it to you, bro, but this really _is_ your room." Having no luck finding a matching pair of shoes in his brother's wardrobe, Sam walked swiftly over to the bed, and, shoving Dean's legs aside, crouched down to start feeling around under the bed.

"Hey, I'm sitting here!" Dean objected, only just squashing the urge to use his brother as a footrest. Looking down at Sam, though, Dean couldn't help snickering. "You're going to get stuck under there, you know," he informed Sam in a singsong voice. He paused for just a moment before adding, "Sammy."

"Shut up."

_I could get used to this._ Dean was well on his way to deciding that he had officially gone mad. That was it. He had finally cracked under the strain of hunting, and was now locked up in a padded room somewhere wearing a straitjacket. So, if he was mad, he might as well enjoy it as much as possible.

"Dean, how can you not put a _single_ thing away neatly?" Sam demanded, apparently completely oblivious to the thoughts that were going through his brother's mind. "I really don't see how you can ever find _anything_ in this room."

"See the genius at work." Dean's voice suddenly trailed off into silence as he found himself staring at a photo on his desk, right next to the laptop that he was sure he had never owned. The machine wasn't what was important, though. Dean just sat there with his mouth hanging open as he saw the people who were in the photos.

"Mom…" The voice was a pained gasp, somehow conveying in that single word a lifetime of knowing that there was an empty void in Dean's heart that had never been filled. He had seen plenty of photos of her, but only from when he had been four years old and Sam had been a baby.

Never one of both him and Sam all grown up with their arms flung around their mom and grinning at the camera.

"Huh?" Having finally found a matching boot under the bed, Sam had somehow managed to pull himself out from under the bed without getting stuck, and now looked at Dean expectantly, as if wondering what was going on. "What did you just say?"

Dean made no response, for once ignoring his little brother. The older Winchester brother slowly stood up, and walked carefully over the desk. He picked up the framed photo, and just stared at it for a long moment, his fingers lightly stroking over the surface of the glass.

She looked older, of course, but no less beautiful. As he stared into the face of the woman who had died above Sam's cradle – protecting her youngest son, Dean fully believed – he felt numb, cold all over. For the first time in he didn't know how long, Dean's emotions seemed to be about to get the better of him. The numbness fled, to be replaced by an ache deep in his heart. It didn't matter that he didn't have many memories of her, that the last time he had seen her, she had sacrificed what remained of her soul in order to protect her sons one last time. Just seeing her face in the photograph was enough to bring a lump to Dean's throat.

"Hey, man, what's wrong?" Sam came up beside Dean, watching his older brother with obvious worry in his eyes.

"She's alive…" Dean whispered without looking up. For once, he didn't have a smart comeback to make. _I don't care if I _am_ mad… If I can see her… this won't be so bad…_

Sam stared at his brother. "Well, duh, of _course_ she's alive. What, you're honestly telling me that you don't remember us going back last weekend? Amber and Jess both came with us. They all got on reasonably well." Sam patted his brother's shoulder reassuringly.

_Since when did Sam start acting like the big brother?_ Abruptly, Dean's eyes widened. _Oh, no! _Please_ don't tell me that in this weird reality I've created, I'm actually _younger_ than Sam!_

The thought filled Dean with panic for a moment, but then he relaxed. Nah, that couldn't be it. Sam wasn't _acting_ like he was the older brother – just trying to offer his brother some small measure of comfort, even though he had no idea of just what was wrong.

Somehow, Dean felt that maybe, just maybe, he would be able to forgive Sam for shooting him. The older Winchester had the strong feeling that he wouldn't have shot Sam had their positions been reversed, but that was because his whole life had been about _protecting_ Sam. There was no way that Dean could ever have pulled that trigger. But Dean knew that Sam loved him – even though they never talked about it. And he loved Sam. So he could forgive his brother.

_Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us…_ A line from a prayer that Dean felt like he had always known. And, with that thought on his mind, he reached to grasp Sam's arm with one hand as he placed the photo carefully back on the desk with the other. "I forgive you, Sammy." This wasn't the Sam that needed to hear those words – but Dean would make sure that, once he had regained his sanity, Sam _would_ hear them. Those words were a promise, and Dean always kept his promises…

"Huh?" Sam looked confused, taken aback. "What are you talking about, Dean?"

Before Dean could respond, there was the sound of a soft knock on the door, and the brothers exchanged glances, before Dean let go of Sam's arm, and called, "Come in!"

After a moment's hesitation, the door was pushed open by Amber. "Um…" She looked uncertainly between the brothers. "I was just thinking… If Dean has amnesia or something, and doesn't remember me, doesn't that mean that I'm just making things awkward by being around? I was thinking I might go and stay with some friends…"

_Yeah, talk about me like I'm not here,_ Dean thought. It was like he had an illness or something. He met Amber's eyes. "You're staying here as well, right? I'm hardly going to kick you out…"

"I'm going to go talk to Jess a moment, and then get the car started," Sam said tactfully. He squinted at Dean. "Make sure you're ready to leave, otherwise I _will_ drag you out of here, whether you're ready or not." Without waiting for any kind of reply, the younger Winchester left the room.

Dean sighed heavily, and then looked towards Amber. "Look, I'm sorry I don't remember you, but I can't pretend that I do. That wouldn't help matters any at all." He just wished that she didn't look so stricken…

Amber took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "Yeah, well, it's not like there's much I can really do about it… Just as long as this isn't some kind of line you're spinning in order to break up with me."

"Hey, I can spin lines much better than that," Dean objected with a quick grin, as he sat down on the bed and pulled his shoes on. "Maybe you can tell me a bit about it… later, if there's time," he added. He wasn't really sure if he wanted to do that – but Amber looked so unhappy that he felt like he had to say _something_.

Amber nodded once. "All right." Her shoulders slumping slightly, she simply turned and left the room.

Dean let out a sigh of relief, and quickly finished up with putting his boots on. As he stood up, though, his sharp ears caught the sound of some rustling under the blankets of the bed…


	4. Chapter 4

**Coma**

**Chapter Four**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Supernatural, and I'm not making any money from this fic. Any characters you don't recognise from the show, I probably own – oh, and I guess maybe the plot of this fic belongs to me as well, maybe, kind of, possibly.

Thank you again for the reviews for this – and kudos for the puppy suggestion . It gave me an idea… Hehehe…

Oh, yeah – shameless plug. Please check out my website! And leave feedback, of course.

Also, I probably won't be able to update this for at least three weeks, since I'll be going away in about a week's time for two weeks, and I don't think I'll be able to get chapter five completed before I go.

**Brief recap of previous chapter:** Sam finally talked to the police, and had to lie to them since he couldn't exactly admit the truth – that he had been the one who'd shot Dean.  
Back in the other realm, Dean had decided that he had obviously gone mad, and that he was going to enjoy it while it lasted. He then found a photo of Mary Winchester with him and Sam as adults…

* * *

Sam walked into Dean's room with heavy, slow steps. The conversation with the police officers had gone better than he had hoped, in spite of the fact that his grief over what had happened with Dean meant that Sam wasn't as good at making up stories as he usually was.

_At least they'll probably think that my fractured story is a result of my grief over what happened to my brother,_ Sam thought. Well, that _was_ partly the truth – just not the whole story, and with a few slight details changed.

There was no one else in Dean's room, and the younger Winchester was actually rather glad of that. He wasn't feeling up to trying to make polite conversation with a doctor or nurse while his brother lay in a coma. He wouldn't be responsible for what he might say or do…

"Hey, Dean." Sam slowly sank down into the chair next to his brother's bed, and reached out to place his hand over Dean's – the one that didn't have the needle sticking out of it. "I just spoke to the police, and told them what happened. You'd have been proud of me; I didn't slip up on the details once." Which, if Dean was awake and well, he'd understand to mean that Sam had succeeded in lying.

Of course, maybe Dean wouldn't want to listen to anything Sam said if – no, _when_ – he woke up…

Sam cast a glance back over his shoulder, and was relieved to see that there was no one looking like they were about to come in. His grip tightened on Dean's hand, and he leaned forward slightly. "Dean… you _have_ to get better," he pleaded. "I'm sorry about what happened. I didn't mean any of it, I swear." Tears pricked at Sam's eyes, and he dashed them away with his other hand, then went still.

For just a moment, Sam could have sworn that Dean's fingers had flexed slightly. Holding his breath, not even daring to hope, Sam stared at his brother.

Dean didn't move, only the slight rise and fall of his chest even showing that he was alive at all – and there were no signs that he was close to waking up at all. However, Sam somehow had the feeling that a _part_ of Dean could hear him… He couldn't have said how or why – but he grabbed hold of that hope with both hands and just held on tight.

_It's _got_ to be a good sign… Right?_

For a moment, Sam wondered if he should call Doctor Nelson and ask about what he was sure he had just felt. However, Sam was pretty sure that he knew what the doctor might say to that – something to do with reflexes, he guessed. But Sam didn't want to hear that. He just wanted to keep hoping that Dean _was_ going to wake up soon.

No matter what the doctors might say about it…

Sam took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "You know, Dean, you'd probably like this hospital," he commented. "If you were awake, that is. You've always said that the things that make a good hospital are the 'hot' nurses – and there are plenty of those here." He smiled, but his mouth was trembling a little, and he wasn't feeling at all happy. "Actually, I think one of the volunteers gave me her phone number or something." As Sam said this, he remembered the slip of paper he had been handed.

_I'm pretty sure that it _is_ only a phone number… But she was very secretive over giving it to me, so maybe I'd better have a look._

Sam slipped his hand into his pocket, nudging aside the card with the phone number of the police on, and took out the folded-up piece of paper. For a moment, he just looked at it, unsure of what he really wanted to do. If it _was_ the volunteer wanting to get to know him better, it would be easier for Sam to turn her down if he didn't know what the note said.

_Then again… it _might_ not be that at all,_ Sam thought. _It's not like I really know much about how other people's minds work – I might be psychic, but it doesn't automatically give me insight into the female mind._

Sam unfolded the piece of paper, and read it with a gradually growing frown.

_Look up the names 'Allyson Wilcox' and 'Jason Myers'. There are others, but those are the main ones.  
__I'd talk to you face-to-face, but it's not necessarily safe in or around the surrounding area of the hospital.  
__Jody._

Sam read through the note twice, and then tore it in half, putting it back into his pocket. He really didn't know what Jody meant by those words. Had something happened in the hospital? From the tone of her note, it seemed like there was something strange, and probably bad, going on here.

"Well, this doesn't make much sense," Sam commented, partly to the limp form of his brother, and partly to himself. The sense of urgency on the note came through fully to the younger Winchester, so he didn't go into any detail at all about what had been written there.

The note itself had been written with a rather neat hand. That was quite surprising, since for years Sam had believed that having unreadable handwriting was a job requirement for doctors. But maybe it was different for assistants and volunteers.

_I guess I'd better try and talk to her about this… But _away_ from the hospital._

Sam kept his hand over Dean's, _willing_ his brother to wake up, to open his eyes, to show _some_ sign of consciousness. _If I have any powers at all, then surely they _must_ be able to do this one little thing for me. Please._

"Please," Sam repeated, out loud this time. "What's my life going to be like without my annoying, pain-in-the-ass big brother? Who's gonna pick me up when I fall? Dean, you _have_ to wake up. I can't do this, _any_ of it, without you." Sam hoped that Dean still cared enough not to ignore a heartfelt plea from his younger brother.

"It's a good thing that you're talking to him – even if there's no response that you can see."

Sam jerked slightly, and then relaxed, recognising the voice as belonging to Doctor Nelson. He looked up at the doctor. "He's going to wake up." It wasn't a question – Sam was clinging to that hope, and wasn't about to let himself think any different. He couldn't handle losing his brother.

"Yes, we're doing everything we can," Doctor Nelson replied. "I promise. Anyway," he continued. "I thought that I should make sure that you have someplace to sleep. Your brother won't be happy if you end up wearing yourself out."

"I'm staying at a motel…" Sam replied, but without much interest. What did he care if he ended up being completely shattered? But then… _Dean_ would care, so he guessed that he maybe should as well. "It's near the hospital," the younger Winchester continued, as if that made all the difference in the world.

Doctor Nelson gave a slight frown. "That's not really the best of arrangements," he said. "Especially since we're not sure when your brother will wake up. The money will certainly be a problem."

Sam managed to refrain from commenting that cash wasn't that much of an issue, and instead asked, "What do you suggest, then? I can't very well stay at the hospital."

"My niece has some room in her apartment," Doctor Nelson answered after a moment's thought. "I'm sure Jody won't mind if you'd like to stay there for a little while – if you can put some money towards the rent and bills, of course, while you're there."

_Jody?_ Sam thought. _The same one who passed me that note?_ If it _was_ her, then that would take care of two problems at once. She'd _have_ to tell him what she meant with the note if he was staying with her.

_But then again… things are drawn to Dean and I like moths to a flame. How do I know that I won't be putting her in danger by staying in the same house as her?_ Sam wasn't sure he could put _anyone_ at that kind of risk. Getting other people involved in the war against the evil supernatural beings had always been a big no-no. They even tried to keep people already involved out of harm's way.

_No way am I gonna start putting people in danger _now

"Mr. Winchester?" Doctor Nelson questioned, watching Sam carefully.

"It's all right," Sam replied, looking up at the doctor, keeping his face carefully expressionless. "I wouldn't want to put you or your niece to any trouble. Money's not that much of a problem, honestly."

_Don't be such an idiot, Sammy. The man's offering you an easy way out. Take it, you jerk._

Dean's voice sounded so clearly inside Sam's head that the younger Winchester actually had to look over at his brother's still form just to check that he hadn't woken up and Sam had missed it. _Oh, great… Now I'm hearing voices. That is so _not_ what I need._

"It's not like it would be a problem," Doctor Nelson replied with a slight shrug. "But, of course, it is up to you."

"I'll think about it," Sam said, not making any promises. Truth be told, he didn't want to accept this at all. However, he was sensible enough to see the pros as well as the cons. Maybe it would be all right if it was only for a short while… Trouble was, Sam had no idea how long Dean was going to be in a coma for, how long before the doctors decided that he wasn't going to wake up and…

_Stop it,_ Sam told himself, clutching his hand over his brother's. He was just making himself feel even worse, and how could that help Dean? _The doctor's right. I need to take care of myself as well. Maybe if it's only for a couple of days… until I can make arrangements…_ "I have a… friend of the family coming here in a couple of days," Sam said, suddenly thinking of Missouri.

"I'm sure that there wouldn't be a problem with putting up your friend as well," Doctor Nelson replied. "Oh, but perhaps you should talk to Jody about it first before I make any agreements for her."

"Maybe… You could send her in here, if you like," Sam offered, before he really thought about it. After all, Doctor Nelson hadn't actually said for sure that his niece worked at the hospital – Sam had just assumed that Jody the niece and Jody the volunteer was one and the same person.

Doctor Nelson looked towards Sam, raising his eyebrows. "Hm? How did you know that she's here?" he asked.

"Oh, I just met a volunteer when I was coming in who I think is called Jody," Sam answered. "I just assumed that it was the same person… She was late from her lunch break or something, I think." Truth be told, he hadn't really been that interested.

"That sounds like her," Doctor Nelson commented, walking over to check on the wires that hooked Dean up to the life support machine. "It's not really that she makes a habit of it – just sometimes that she loses track of the time. Your brother has quite a strong heart," the doctor continued, changing the subject. "From what I can tell, he has plenty of will to live, something that's always important in a situation like this."

Sam blinked, glancing up at the doctor. Something in the man's tone had caught his attention. What was it? Sadness, fear, anger? All three? However, the doctor's expression looked pretty normal, and Sam wasn't sure if he had simply imagined the strange tone of his voice. If he hadn't, was it something to do with the note he had been given?

_Of course… the people here might just be insane._ That was always a possibility. Sam was just going to reserve judgement on what was true and what wasn't until he'd learned more about the whole situation. And the best way of doing that was to do research. _At least it'll keep me busy,_ he thought. "Is there a library near here?" he questioned out loud. That would be the obvious place to look, after all.

"Yes, there's one in the next street," the doctor replied. "Huge building – you can't miss it. Anything in particular you're looking for?"

"Nah, just want to do some research while I'm here," Sam said. Until he had something concrete to go on, he didn't want to talk about the contents of the note with _anyone_. "I think I'll go take a look now," he added, straightening up. "I won't be long. Let me know if anything changes. Here's my mobile number." He scribbled it down on a slip of paper, and handed it to the doctor, before heading over to the door.

_Keeping busy is probably the best thing to do right now, so that I don't lose my mind…_

"I'll get Jody to call you if she finishes work before you get back," Doctor Nelson offered.

"Sure, whatever," Sam replied without turning round.

* * *

_Well, I'm not sure I really want to do this,_ Dean thought, as he slipped his hand beneath the blankets.

The older Winchester brother's hand closed around a sheaf of papers. With a slight frown, he carefully drew them out, casting a glance towards the door as he did so. _Could these hold some kind of clue?_

A glance down at the sheets revealed that they were letters. Dean bit his lip slightly, getting a very bad feeling about this. _Don't suicide victims sometimes leave notes for their families?_ Of course, there was no way – not in a million years – that Dean would _ever_ want to kill himself. Leave his little brother alone against all of those evil things that existed in the world? Not a chance.

But the letters seemed to suggest something different…

The first two were addressed to Dean's Mom and Dad, and talked a bit about regrets, but didn't really mention anything about dying. No surprise there. Dean had always felt a lot closer to his brother than his Dad. If it came to a choice between them, Dean would choose Sammy every time.

And Sam was the only person Dean felt that he could trust with his life, even when Sam had left him to go to Stanford.

_So what's going on in this life? It seems so perfect… And yet, from the tone of these letters, it seems like I was unhappy enough to kill myself…_

After another glance towards the door, Dean settled back a little to read the letter his 'other self' had written to his brother.

_Sam.  
__I'm sorry for doing this to you. Bro, you know that leaving you is the last thing that I want to do, but I can't handle this. This life of ours grates on my teeth – there's not much here that interests me. I know that you're happy, Sammy, and I used to think that I was as well. But… well, I simply can't cope with this anymore.  
__I'm really sorry, Sammy. Please be happy, for me.  
__Dean._

Dean stared at the letter for a long moment, unable to believe what he was reading. The evidence was _there_ in front of him, and yet…

There was another piece of paper, but all that said was _Forgive me_. It didn't even have a name on it, but Dean somehow had the feeling that his parallel self – if he wasn't mad or dreaming – had intended that note to be for Amber.

_Oh, man… Looks like it wasn't just beer that was being consumed last night._

Sam might have been the one who'd gone to college, but that didn't mean Dean wasn't smart. If this _was_ some kind of parallel world, then he guessed that there had been some kind of gate opened. He didn't know for sure, but he somehow had the feeling that, at the same time he'd been shot, other Dean had attempted to kill himself, and a weak point had been created.

_So… two questions remain. Firstly, how do I find out if my theory is correct? Secondly, how do I get back to _my_ world? Oh, wait… There's a third question. What about the demons and the other evil things? Do they still exist?_

If his and Sam's mother was still alive, then it was probable that they'd never found out about the supernatural. They'd lived practically normal lives, and both Dean and Sam had gone to college.

And _this_ Dean had tried to kill himself…

_Is this what would have happened if Mom had never been killed? I would have died instead?_

One thing was clear – until Dean knew for certain what was going on, he was going to have to stick with the partial amnesia theory. It was painful to realise that he couldn't even talk to Sam about the whole situation without his little brother thinking that he was insane. The best thing that Dean could do was to do everything he could not to let _this_ Sam find out what had happened, and hope that, once he returned to his world, things here would get better.

But it wasn't really any of his business…

Dean was just contemplating the pros and cons of burning the letters when he became aware of the sound of something moving around under the bed. Dean being Dean, he automatically assumed the worst, and scrambled up, reaching for a gun that wasn't there, and letting loose with a few choice curses when that fact registered.

_Oh, come on… Wouldn't _other_ me still carry a gun around with him? Surely I'm not _that_ different!_

As it turned out, what was under the bed wasn't a demon or a ghost or some other supernatural entity. No, in fact it was so much worse.

A brown Springer spaniel puppy crept out from underneath the bed. As brown eyes met Dean's hazel ones, the puppy let out a series of sharp barks, and ran over to jump up at Dean, trying to lick his face.

Dean had never liked dogs, mainly because a dog had gone for little Sammy years ago, but also because of the whole werewolf thing – both were canines, after all. _This dog had better not belong to the Dean of this world!_

Dean shoved the dog away. "Stop it! I'm not your owner!" he exclaimed, raising his voice.

The dog let out a little whine, and dropped down, looking up at Dean out of soft eyes. A moment later, though, it was up and trying to get to Dean again.

"Argh!" Dean ducked to the side. "Stupid dog! Didn't I house train you!"

"Dean?" It was Sam's voice at the door, and, a moment later, the younger Winchester walked into the room. "What's wrong?" He looked at the dog. "Oh, so that's where Brownie went."

"Brownie!" Dean glared at Sam. "What's a dog doing in my room?"

"Oh, the dog belongs to Amber," Sam replied with a slight shrug, apparently accepting it as commonplace that his brother had partial amnesia. "She brought him with her when she moved in. Are you all right, bro?" Sam asked, peering at Dean. "You look kind of pale." His eyes moved to the papers that Dean had dropped onto the floor. "Here, I'll get those for you."

"Stay away from those!" As soon as the words had left Dean's mouth, he regretted them. His tone had been unnecessarily sharp.

Sam shot his brother a slightly stricken look, and backed away slowly from the sheets of paper. "Dean, what's wrong? You're acting really strangely…"

Dean took a deep breath, and prepared himself to lie to his brother. _It's for his own good._ But Dean still felt bad about it… "Sorry, I guess I'm just feeling a bit out of it right now, what with having lost part of my memory," he answered with a slight shrug. "Anyway… Those notes are private. They're birthday present ideas," he added quickly, suddenly struck with an idea.

Sam gave his brother a rather odd look. "No one's birthday is that close."

_Well, other Sam's birthday isn't _that_ far away…_ But maybe today was a different date than he remembered? Then again, Sam's birthday date may have been changed…

Dean shrugged, and gave a small smirk. "I like to be prepared," he responded, moving over to pick up the papers. Well, he couldn't exactly burn them now, so, after a moment's hesitation, he shoved them inside the nearest drawer.

_Hey, I never claimed to be organised._

"Well, I'll go and take Brownie back downstairs," Sam said, picking up the dog, who immediately licked his chin. The younger Winchester grimaced slightly, and then turned towards the door, reaching out to open it one-handed. "I'm going to have to change my shirt now," he muttered.

"Whatever." Dean shoved the drawer closed. _Well, obviously the Sam Winchester of _this_ world isn't all that observant… He was looking for my boots under the bed, and he didn't see the puppy there?_ Well, unless Sam had deliberately not said anything about Brownie just to see how Dean would react to finding the dog.

_Some things never change…_

After a few moments of searching, Dean managed to find his black jacket. He slipped it on, and then walked out of the door and made his way back down the stairs.

Jessica was standing near the foot of the stairs, her back to Dean. "Hey, are you all right…?" Dean made his way over to her, fighting down the urge to stay as far away from her as possible.

_She's not dead in this world…_

Jessica turned round, and Dean couldn't stop his eyes from widening in shock.


	5. Chapter 5

**Coma**

**Chapter Five**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Supernatural, and I'm not making any money from this fic. Any characters you don't recognise from the show, I probably own. Also, the plot of this fic belongs to me, I guess.

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed this so far – it's so nice to have each one come through into my inbox . I hope people like the newest chapter of this. And, yeah, I'm getting this done before I go on holiday – but _then_ it's not going to get updated for at least two weeks. Sorry!

**Warning(s):** Possible ooc:ness; possible mistakes in the canon; some violence; spoilers up until Asylum; some swearing; some things that could probably be seen as quite disgusting

**Brief recap of previous chapter:** Sam opened the note Jody gave him, and it revealed the names of two people who she told him to look up – Allyson Wilcox and James Myers. Dean's doctor also made the suggestion that Sam could stay with his niece – who just so happened to be Jody the volunteer.  
Meanwhile, Dean was 'attacked' by Amber's puppy – a Springer spaniel by the name of Brownie. After Sam took the puppy away, Dean went down the stairs, and saw Jessica at the bottom. But something doesn't seem right…

* * *

As he walked into the library, Sam was hit in the face by a musty smell, and he closed his eyes for a moment. _Old building, clearly. They're usually the ones with this kind of smell._ Either that, or it hadn't been cleaned at all.

_So… I'm looking for Allyson Wilcox and Jason Myers,_ Sam thought. _Pity that I don't have any idea of a time frame._ He decided that he was just going to have a look online at any newspaper reports that he could find on those names. That was probably his best bet – Jody had said that there were others, but those two were the most known.

_The question remains – what were they well known _for

It didn't take long for Sam to find out where the computers were, and he didn't even have to ask one of the librarians. They were situated in one of the far corners of the library, and, a little to the younger Winchester's surprise – and relief – they were unoccupied.

Sam walked as quickly as he dared over to the computers, and sat down at one of the desks. Signing in was simple enough – all he had to do was type GUEST and PASSWORD into the relevant boxes. After that, it was a simple matter to draw up the Internet search page.

In the box, Sam typed in 'Allyson Wilcox, Rockford, Illinois', and then clicked on the News page.

The search brought up just the one hit, and Sam noticed that one of the key words that had been picked out was 'Rockford Hospital'. _But… Dean's there, and Jody works in the hospital… It doesn't make any sense._ Sam was getting a seriously bad feeling about this – and he was pretty sure that it didn't come only from his newly discovered psychic abilities.

_Well… No sense in putting this off any longer,_ Sam thought, hoping that he wasn't about to read something that would tell him that his brother was in danger. If he had to get his brother out of the hospital and out of the town, he had no idea of what was the best way of moving someone who was in a coma.

Sam clicked on the article, and read it through:

_Young Woman Dies in Hospital  
__24-year-old Allyson Wilcox, who slipped into a coma after being involved in a car accident, died at 3.40am after having woken up from the coma the evening before.  
__The doctors claim that there was little they could do – her brain must have suffered some unforeseen damage while the young woman had been in a coma.  
__Police are treating this death as an accident. Statements from the family have yet to be given._

Sam frowned a little, wondering at the article. The young woman's death seemed tragic, sure, but from the words written, it just seemed like it was an accident – an unfortunate one, but still an accident.

_Then again… surely the family wouldn't have wanted all of their details splashed over the news? And why is there only the one article on it?_ Sam frowned, and re-read the article, trying to 'hear' the voice of the reporter – Melissa Williams – in his mind. There was something about the line about brain damage…

_It has an almost sarcastic tone to it… As if the reporter doesn't believe what the doctors said…_

Sam couldn't know anything for sure, though. Despite his urge to run to the hospital, grab Jody by the shoulders, and shake her until she told him everything she knew, he instead typed in the second name he had been given.

Once again, there was only one hit for Jason Myers. It was also written by Melissa Williams, and Sam clicked on it without a moment's hesitation.

_Tragedy Strikes Again in Rockford Hospital  
__38-year-old Jason Myers – a man reportedly in extremely good health until getting shot in the chest during a robbery – died after waking up from a coma in circumstances similar to Allyson Wilcox.  
__The police are not treating the death as suspicious. Jason Myers leaves behind a wife and three children._

Sam didn't miss the obvious reference to the previous victim, and he figured that had been the reporter's intention. Melissa Williams clearly saw something suspicious linking the two deaths together, and the younger Winchester wondered if she had written articles on the others Jody had talked about in her note.

_This could mean that Dean's in danger…_ Sam thought, starting to reach for his cell phone, and then hesitated.

_No… Dean and I are bonded close together. I'd _feel_ it if something happened to him._ Sam was absolutely certain of this.

Still, that didn't mean that Dean _wouldn't_ be in danger at all – but Allyson Wilcox and Jason Myers had died after waking up from a coma, so, more than likely, Dean wouldn't _be_ in any danger until he woke up from the coma.

_I wonder what connects these people together, if anything…_ The logical thing to do would be to try and make contact with Melissa Williams – but if something really _had_ gone on, then she probably would have gone into hiding or something. _Trouble is, I can't tell what she might know or might not know just from the wording of her article._

It seemed to be another thing that Sam was going to have to ask Jody about. He didn't really like all of these questions he had. There were too many of them, and not enough answers. He was _not_ going to leave his brother in danger. Dean would do exactly the same for him. _It's my turn to look after Dean, to be the big brother._ Sam's older brother had always looked out for and protected him.

_He probably won't ever trust me again after I shot him…_ Sam thought unhappily. He wouldn't blame Dean for it, of course, but there was no way he'd be able to apologise until Dean woke up. And he had to ensure that nothing would happen to his brother if – no, _when_ – Dean woke up.

_I wonder if Melissa Williams wrote any other articles, or features in any other articles…_

Sam glanced quickly at the time, and then typed the reporter's name into the search box, biting his lip and frowning in concentration.

There was a whole list of articles that came up after Sam pressed Enter, and most of them didn't look to be of any relevance for what the younger Winchester was looking for. However, one of the very last articles mentioned something about a car crash – and Sam had the feeling of déjà vu that he had had before.

Not quite as strong as with his dreams about Jessica, but still…

Sam pushed the thoughts of his former girlfriend out of his mind, and clicked on the article, reading it with a gradually growing feeling of unease.

_Reporter Dead in Car Accident  
__Melissa Williams, reporter for The Sky news, was found at the bottom of a cliff in her car. According to the inquest, she was speeding over the path, and crashed through the safety railing. It is possible that she left a party drunk.  
__Melissa Williams leaves behind her parents and her younger sister._

_Well… That's unhelpful,_ Sam thought with a frown. _And rather helpful for the hospital, I must say – especially if she was planning on exposing the hospital or anything like that._

Of course, Sam had no idea of what had been going on during that time. For all he knew, it _could_ have been an accident… But, for some reason, he didn't think so. It all seemed to be so… convenient. Melissa had apparently suspected something that there was something suspicious involved in the two coma victims dying, and had then been killed in a car accident. A glance at the dates revealed that it had been two weeks after the writing of the article on James Myers.

_It's possible that the brakes on her car may have failed or even been cut… But then, that means that there must have been some kind of cover-up, because why else would it be reported that she was drink driving?_

In reality, of course, Sam had no idea of anything that might have gone on. All he could do was look at the evidence in front of him, collect as much more as he could, and then make up his own mind.

_It said that Melissa left behind some family… I wonder if Jody or someone she knows might know how to get in contact with them._

Frowning a little, Sam stared at the screen in front of him for a long moment, and then took a notepad and a pencil out of his bag to start scribbling down some of what he had found out. _I _told_ Dean that carrying a notebook around with me was a good idea._

Sam bit his lip slightly as he wrote, unable to stop his thoughts from turning to his brother lying still and weak in the hospital bed. He really wished that his Dad was there… Hell, he would be happy to have Missouri around as well. Anything, so long as he didn't have to go through this on his own.

_Then again, Dad will probably get furious at me for being too weak to fight off the spirit… And I wouldn't blame him if he did._ Sam blamed himself for not being able to fight off Ellicott. He knew full well that, had their situations been reversed, Dean would never have pulled the trigger on him.

_But he's always been the stronger one… And I abandoned him._

It hadn't been Sam's intention to abandon either his father or his brother when he'd left to go to Stanford, but he knew that his father at least had seen it that way.

_If you walk out of that door, don't bother coming back!_

His father's words still rang inside Sam's mind. Would John Winchester ignore any messages from his youngest son based on that principle alone? Dean had come to find his younger brother after their father had left without a word – but had John Winchester guessed that the brothers would team up again in an attempt to find him?

It occurred to Sam that his older brother had spent a lot of time between him and their dad, trying to stop the two from fighting. _It must have been hard for him… Both Dad and I wanted him on our side, and we got mad when he refused to join one of us against the other._ Just another example of how Dean had been unappreciated by both his father and his younger brother.

_I wonder if Dean takes after our Mom at all…_

Sam was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of his cell phone ringing. He gave a sheepish smile towards the librarian glaring at him, and answered the phone. "Hello, Sam speaking?" he whispered – not saying his surname just in case it was one of the many people he and Dean had given fake names to.

"Hello, this is Jody," came the hushed feminine voice at the other end of the phone.

Sam frowned slightly. _I know why _I'm_ talking in a quiet tone, but why is she doing that?_ Unless she didn't want to be overheard, of course… In any case, the younger Winchester said, "Oh… Hello. Is there any news of my brother?" After reading about the cases, Sam had rather mixed feelings about there being any change in Dean's condition. If there was a chance that his brother might die anyway, Sam would much prefer for him to remain in the coma until it was safe.

_But I also want my brother to be awake… and well…_

"No, I'm sorry," Jody replied, keeping her voice just as quiet as before. "There's been no change. My uncle said that he mentioned to you about you possibly staying at my apartment… with a… friend?" From the slight questioning tone to her voice, she seemed to be a little unsure about exactly what had been said.

"Yeah…" Sam said, a little shortly. Then, "Tell me about Melissa Williams." He logged off the computer, put his notepad away, and started walking over towards the door of the library.

"Well…" There was a moment's silence, and then the sound of a door being closed. "I can't talk here. If you want, I can come pick you up from the library, and we can talk about it then."

_Does her uncle always tell her the whereabouts of patients' relatives?_

"How convenient…" Sam commented, as he stepped outside the door, and leaned back against the wall. "What's going to happen? Another car accident?" He purposely didn't mention anything about which one of them the car accident might kill – if it _was_ some kind of cover-up, then it would be killing two birds with one stone.

Well, two people with one car…

"I really can't say anything here on the phone!" Jody hissed. "I'm risking a lot by saying what I am right now – my life could be in very real danger!"

"And what about the others – like my brother?" Sam demanded. "_Their_ lives are in very real danger! I know you're scared," he continued, gentling his tone somewhat as he realised that shouting probably wasn't going to get through to the young woman. "But I could really use your help. Please."

"I can't talk here," Jody repeated softly. "But, as I said, I'm happy to come pick you up at the library…"

"No, it's all right," Sam said. "If you just give me directions to your apartment, I'll drive my brother's car there." _Dean will probably kill me for driving his precious car – without permission – when he wakes up – but oh well. He'll just have to live with it._

* * *

Dean stared with wide eyes as he found himself face-to-face with a grinning skull. Stringy blonde hair stuck out from side to side, and worms, beetles, and other creepy-crawlies were crawling in and out of the eye sockets.

The older Winchester brother had definitely seen a lot in his time, and a grinning skull really wasn't the worst he had seen, but it was out of place in this apartment building. _I have _got_ to get hold of a gun I can load with rock salt!_ Dean took a slight step back, raising his hands in an attempt to ward off this gruesome apparition. _Even some ordinary household salt would be welcome right now._

As Dean backed up, the skull disappeared, to be replaced by a young woman with short blonde hair that he couldn't remember seeing before.

The woman laughed, a high, clear sound, at the look on his face. "Do you like my game, Dean Winchester?" she asked in an accented voice. "It's called Illusion." She regarded him with a smile that could have been described as flirtatious under any other circumstances. "What's the matter? Oh, did I finally manage to shock the great Dean Winchester into speechlessness?" She smirked.

"Who are you!" Dean demanded, making sure to keep well out of the thing's – whatever she was – reach.

"My name's Meg," the woman replied, as if that should explain everything. "You weren't supposed to be brought here until much later on, but you're here now – so I'll just have to make sure and get on with what my plans are." She smiled again, before continuing, "In case you're wondering why I'm telling you this – well, it doesn't matter what you know or don't know. You won't be able to stop it anyway, and even if you _do_, it'll be too late."

"What are you talking about!" Dean snapped. "Where's Sam! What have you done to him!"

"Dean?" Dean abruptly felt a soft touch on his shoulder, and his eyes flew open.

_Huh? My eyes were already open…_

The strange woman had gone, and Amber was standing in her place, a rather worried look on her face. "What's wrong, Dean?" she asked, frowning a little. "You looked like you were asleep on your feet or something…"

Dean just stared at her, trying to catch his breath and calm his racing heart. _Had that vision been real…?_ He could do without being a psychic – that was Sam's job. _Amber's standing in front of me… Is this something to do with _her Dean had no idea how to find out for sure, though he supposed he _could_ do something that might give him some kind of idea. Salt might be the best option…

Dean attempted what he hoped was a calming smile with a hint of flirting in it – something that caught women's attention like a charm. "Oh, I'm fine," he replied, making sure that his face was schooled into an innocently curious expression. "Hey, you think you can do me a favour?"

"Um, sure," Amber said, blinking a bit. "What is it?"

"Could you get me some salt from the kitchen, please?" Dean requested, giving her another smile.

Amber looked confused. "What do you need salt for?" she asked. "We're just going to the hospital…"

_I'm pretty sure I don't need the hospital,_ Dean thought. _But then… Sam and the others think that there's something wrong with me, and they'll probably get kind of suspicious if I don't think like that…_ Not to mention there was the whole thing with Meg – if she _was_ real, then he was going to have to be careful here.

_Even more careful than I was going to be…_

"Oh, I was going to suggest going for fish and chips after we'd been to the hospital," Dean answered, his tone falsely bright. "And, well, the salt in most food places tastes funny." _Give me a break – this is the best lie I can come up with._

Amber looked like she was wondering just how hard Dean had supposedly hit his head. "Salt tastes exactly the same wherever you get it from…" she said slowly.

Dean shrugged. "Ask my brother if you don't believe me," he replied, while at the same time hoping that Amber would do no such thing. Then again, just the offer _should_ be enough to make the young woman believe him.

"Um… All right…" Amber turned, and headed in the direction of the kitchen.

_She doesn't _seem_ scared or nervous… At least not yet,_ the older Winchester brother thought. After all, salt could hardly be that threatening in its container, could it? _Then again, I'm not planning to just leave it in there…_

A few moments later, Amber came back with a container of salt, which she handed to Dean. "Here," she said. "Be careful you don't spill it or something." With that, she turned to leave the house.

"Thanks." Dean followed Amber, and, as he did so, allowed his foot to catch on the carpet. As he fell forward, some of the salt from the container sprinkled over the young woman's hair and neck.

Amber immediately turned. "Hey…" She brushed the specks – which actually looked like dandruff – out of her hair. "What was that for?"

"Sorry, I slipped," Dean responded, giving Amber his puppy-dog-eyes look and an innocent smile. "Here, let me help." He moved over to brush some of the specks off her shoulders and head, at the same time taking the opportunity to take a good look at her expression for any sign of discomfort.

_The salt doesn't _seem_ to be affecting her in any way, which means that either she's an ordinary human – or she's some kind of supernatural creature that _isn't_ bothered by salt._

Dean kind of preferred the first possibility…

"Thanks," Amber said with a soft sigh. "I'm sure salt can't be good for my hair." Once again, she turned to leave the house.

Dean followed her slowly outside. _Maybe I ought to make the effort to get to know her a little better…_ he thought. Out loud, he questioned, "So… Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Not the best opening question – but it was the only question he could think of.

"I _did_ have one," Amber replied as she led the way out of the apartment and over to the car. "An older sister. Her name was Melissa – she was a reporter."

"What happened to her?" Dean realised that it might be a painful question to ask – but there wasn't any sound of _obvious_ grief in Amber's voice. Possibly, she had already recovered from her sister's death. _But can you ever truly let go of someone who died?_ After all, his and Sam's Dad was still affected by the thing that had killed their Mom – he was still looking for it.

_At least, in the _real_ world he is…_

"She died in a car accident," Amber answered, still without turning round. "Drove her car off a cliff. The official cause was that she was driving after she'd been drinking, and her reaction times were slow."

"I'm sorry," Dean said, a little awkwardly.

Amber shrugged, and got into the back of the car, next to Jessica.

_My Chevy Impala…_ Dean thought, getting into the driver's seat. _Sweet. At least _this_ hasn't changed._

"So… Where were you?" Sam asked his brother, narrowing his eyes a little. "You certainly took a lot longer than necessary."

"Hey, you think it's easy to look this good?" Dean responded with a smirk, tucking the salt safely away. "I had to take a little while to get myself ready." He almost added, _for all the hot nurses_, but figured that Amber probably wouldn't appreciate that. In any case, he wasn't going to admit the whole thing that had happened with that Meg chick. _I don't really want to prove the whole insanity theory._

Dean put the car into gear, and then turned round to look at the two women in the back. "You all right?"

Amber, who was staring out of the window, merely nodded, while Jessica smiled at him. "We're fine."

Dean nodded, and started the car, but not before he could swear that he heard Meg's voice whisper inside his mind, _It's only just beginning…_


	6. Chapter 6

**Coma**

**Chapter Six**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Supernatural, and I'm not making any money from this fic. Any character you don't recognise from the show, I probably own.

I'm guessing that there are people reading this who haven't reviewed due to the amount of hits that this has been getting. But thank you to those of you who _have_ been reviewing this – I treasure each and every review I get, and it means a lot every time I read one. I don't really have time to personally respond to each review I get, but every one of them means a lot to me, and it's nice to know that people are reading and enjoying this fic.

**Warning(s):** Violence; some mild swearing

**Brief recap of previous chapter:** Sam found out that both Allyson Wilcox and Jason Myers had died after waking up from comas at Rockford Hospital. He also found out that the reporter who had written the articles about them had died in what was apparently in a car accident having been supposedly drinking and driving. He then talked to Jody on the phone, and agreed to come by her house.  
Meanwhile, Dean found himself face to face with a grinning skull, and then ended up meeting Meg. Coming to and finding that Amber was standing in front of him, he then tipped salt over her to make sure she wasn't some kind of supernatural creature. Then, as they walked to the car, Dean found out that Amber had a sister, Melissa, who was a reporter and supposedly died in a car accident…  
And Dean was left with a parting shot by Meg inside his mind…

* * *

Sam pulled up outside the apartment Jody had given him the directions to, and parked the Impala carefully. 

_Dean will probably kill me if I get even a single scratch on his beloved car…_

The building itself was an ordinary, semi-detached house, no different from any of the surrounding houses. If it weren't for the number – 31 – Sam would never have been able to pick it specifically out.

_I wonder if that was Jody's intention,_ Sam thought. _Blending in would be vital for a person who's scared of something…_ Which kind of pointed to the theory that the supposed car accident _hadn't_ been an accident at all.

After giving Sam the directions to her house, Jody had then told him that she would be a bit late due to having to clean up and do other things at the hospital. Sam had offered to pick up some food for dinner after he'd talked to Doctor Nelson about his brother.

_I don't know what, if anything, Jody's told her uncle… Hell, I don't even know what's going on. I'm looking for answers, and the only person who seems to have any is a hospital volunteer probably younger than I am._

After getting out of the car, Sam shifted the pizza boxes to his right hand, using the other to ring the doorbell. All right, he _could_ have got food that would have been quicker to make – but, to be honest, the younger Winchester had really wanted some time to be on his own.

After a moment, the door was opened by Jody – at least, Sam _assumed_ that that was who it was. Given the fact that the chain was on the door, he couldn't see much through the crack.

"Hey," Sam said with a half-smile. "I come bearing pizza."

Jody took the chain off the door and opened it, giving a furtive glance out into the street. "Come in," she said quickly.

_Well… _Something's_ freaked her out,_ Sam thought as he stepped inside the building. After handing the pizza boxes to Jody, he turned to close the door behind him.

"I'll take these through to the living room," Jody offered, turning to walk through a door on the left. Just beyond the door, Sam could see the door leading to the kitchen open, and next to that were the stairs winding up. At that moment, he could see that all of the lights were off. Even in the hall, there was only a single light on, and none coming out from under the living room door.

_What was she doing before I rang the doorbell?_

"All right." Sam followed the woman into the room, and sat down awkwardly on the couch, taking a glance around.

"Coffee, tea, juice?" Jody asked as she set the pizza boxes on the table in front of Sam.

"Coffee's fine," Sam replied. _The room's very neat,_ he observed. _No pictures, no ornaments… It seems like all that's here are the essentials – nothing personal. It almost seems like everything's set up for her to leave at a moment's notice…_

Sam was dimly aware of Jody leaving the room as his eyes suddenly fell on the one apparently personal item in the room. Resting on the armchair in the furthest corner of the room was what appeared to be a scrapbook.

Sam considered ignoring the scrapbook, but only for a moment. If Jody wanted to keep it private, then she would have put it away, not left it out in plain sight.

_Of course, there's always the possibility that Jody had been looking at the scrapbook, and didn't get the chance to put it away…_ Sam found that he really didn't care, though. If something could help him, he wasn't going to worry about respecting little things like privacy. Maybe he'd always been that way – but the younger Winchester somehow felt that it was because he was willing to do _anything_ to save Dean's life…

Sam straightened up, and walked over to the armchair. Picking up the scrapbook, he then sat back down on the couch, and opened it.

There were newspaper articles to begin with, Sam saw. Three of them, he recognised – about the victims who had died as a result of Rockford Hospital.

_So now I'm putting them all together as victims…_

For a few pages, there were more articles about people – victims – some from many years ago. Sam was just about to put the scrapbook down when he turned the next page, and stared.

There were still articles, but now more the sort that were in John Winchester's journal. Not a lot – but they all shared a certain element of the paranormal. Someone – Jody, Sam guessed – had highlighted certain things – signs, Sam assumed.

There weren't just newspaper articles in the scrapbook, as Sam found a few moments later. Jody had apparently made lists. Lists that were apparently something to do with the people who had died in the hospital.

And the supernatural…

Sam studied Allyson Wilcox's list with a gradually growing sense of unease.

**Allyson Wilcox**

1 x Spirit  
4 April 2002

1 x Poltergeist  
19 September 2002

1 x Demon  
6 March 2003

1 x B. Dog  
14 March 2003

1 x Spirit  
21 July 2003

2 x B. Witch  
14 August 2003

1 x Werewolf  
16 December 2003

1 x Demon  
21 January 2004

_Allyson Wilcox was a hunter?_

That was what the table _seemed_ to be suggesting. But if the woman _had_ been a hunter, then it was an awfully short list.

Looking further through the scrapbook revealed more lists – including one for Jason Myers – that could be matched to the people featured in the other articles.

Sam looked up as he heard Jody enter the room. The young woman quietly set a coffee mug down on one of the coasters on the table. Then, she sat down on the couch next to Sam.

In this close proximity to Jody, Sam could see the dark circles under her eyes that no amount of concealer could fully hide. He noticed her pale skin, and the way her eyes darted around nervously even in the supposed safety of her own home.

Sam opened his mouth to ask about the scrapbook, but what actually came out was, "When was the last time you had a good night's sleep?"

Sam was unprepared for the pain that stabbed through him as he echoed what Dean had said to him before. Tears pricked at his eyes yet again, and he forced them back with effort.

_It's not like Dean's dead,_ Sam thought. It didn't stop his memories from causing pain, though.

Especially since Dean's current condition was all Sam's fault…

Jody blinked, looking taken aback and caught off guard by the question. "Um…" She made an obvious effort to remember, and then shrugged. "I don't really recall… It hasn't felt safe to sleep in a while."

Sam frowned. He could understand _that_, but he knew that not sleeping would be an extremely bad idea. "You'd better take advantage of me being here to get a good night's sleep," he replied. Then, he indicated the scrapbook. "Are you telling me here that these people… hunt the paranormal or something like that?" He wasn't going to admit what he and Dean did, not when he didn't know the score.

Jody quirked a smile. "_I'm_ not telling you anything. That is." She nodded to the scrapbook.

"You're taking a big risk, showing me this," Sam said. "What makes you think that I won't take this to the police or something? There's a lot here that could be used against you."

Jody shrugged. "I made a decision," she answered. "To be honest… I can't just keep this to myself. It wasn't so bad with Melissa around, but…" Her voice trailed off, and she looked away, clearly fighting to keep her composure.

Sam nodded slowly, glancing down. "What makes you think that Dean's in danger?" he questioned, mainly to get Jody talking and take her mind off what had happened to her friend. "I mean, you _do_ think that he's in danger, right?" If she didn't, then it would make no sense for her to be talking to him right now.

Jody nodded, and then sighed. "I thought that it was just my imagination at first," she admitted. "With the first victim I saw – Jon Peterson. He was in a coma, and the day before he woke up, I saw this… glow around his body. Kind of like an aura."

"What colour was it?"

"Red." Jody frowned. "Or, well, reddish-brown more like… It made me think of those glow-in-the-dark stickers and other things you can get. Oh, and the glow seemed to almost seep into his skin," she added.

Sam met Jody's gaze. "You've seen it on later occasions?"

Jody nodded. "No one else has mentioned seeing it… But if anyone _has_, they've probably convinced themselves that it's perfectly normal, or decided that it's their imagination. _I_ nearly did…"

"But you met Melissa?" Sam guessed. He wasn't sure what gave him the idea that Melissa had been the one to approach Jody – it wasn't like he really knew anything about what had happened.

Jody nodded. "I guess that Melissa wanted someone in the hospital on her side," she replied. "We just seemed to… click, in a way. Know what I mean?"

In a way, Sam did. It reminded him painfully of how he and Jessica had met. He'd been going to ask her to marry him…

_And her life was ripped away._

Jody seemed to take Sam's silence as agreement, and continued, "With the other victims, I was seeing the light quite a while before they actually woke up. I saw it with your brother just before I left for lunch break…"

Sam's mind was already working. _What kind of supernatural entity preys on coma victims and leaves a red light before they wake up?_ He was going to have to take a look at his dad's journal later on. He _thought_ he remembered where it was…

Jody lowered her head, closing her eyes for a moment. "Sometimes I wish I _was_ crazy…" she whispered. "This is too much for me to handle."

"Don't worry," Sam said softly. "You don't have to handle it on your own now. When are you working tomorrow?"

"9am…"

Sam shook his head slightly. "Phone in sick." He was rather worried that she would be too exhausted to really concentrate, and that it was possible she could be in some serious danger if she went to the hospital.

Like Melissa…

"But…"

"No buts," Sam interrupted. "You need a good rest if you're going to be helping me with this. Besides, it's possible that _your_ life might be in danger. Do you have a computer here?"

Jody looked like she was about to argue, but then her shoulders slumped, and she sighed heavily. "There's one in the office upstairs," she muttered.

"Thank you." Sam sipped his coffee, and made a slight grimace. _Oh, well… I guess I should have thought that this would get cold while we were talking._ "We might need to heat up the pizza."

"I'll do that." Jody got to her feet, and picked up the pizza boxes before heading out of the living room.

Sam leaned back slightly against the couch, and started flicking through the scrapbook again.

* * *

John Winchester pulled his van over to the side of the road and parked, leaning his chin on his cupped hands for a moment. 

Usually, the man would have no qualms about listening to the messages on his mobile while he was driving. However, this message was from one of his sons.

And he wanted to give all of his attention to this…

Once again, John dialled the number of his answer phone service, and put the mobile to his ear. He ignored the first two messages that had nothing to do with anything of importance, and listened to Sam's message with a growing sense of unease.

As the last whispered "Please," echoed through his ears, John clenched his other hand into a fist. It was clear from his youngest son's heartrending message that Sam blamed himself for what had happened to his brother.

_What would Sammy do if Dean were to die…?_

Really, it didn't take long for John to make his decision. There was no contest. One of his sons was in a coma; the other one was probably in some serious danger.

John turned his mobile off again and tucked it safely away. Then, he put the van into gear, and pulled out into the road again, driving in the opposite direction to which he had been going.

Heading towards Rockford, Illinois.

* * *

Dean sat on the examining table with a frown, waiting impatiently for the doctor to finish looking at him. 

_Honestly… you'd think that, since he can't find anything wrong with me, he'd stop trying,_ the older Winchester thought with some annoyance. _I haven't even seen any hot nurses._

Apart from Dean and the doctor, the only person in the room was Sam. Jessica and Amber were waiting outside in the reception area. Dean hadn't felt comfortable with them in the room while the doctor examined him.

Finally, the doctor stepped back, and directed a confused look at Dean. "I can't see any evidence of a blow to the head, or even the alcohol consumption you claim to have had."

_Yes, that would be because I was stone cold sober at the time my baby brother shot me,_ Dean thought. Of course, he couldn't exactly say that out loud – so he just shrugged, and gave the doctor his best innocent look. "Don't know what to tell you, Doc. Maybe I managed to lose most of it when I threw up." Not that Dean _had_ been sick, but still…

The doctor didn't look all that convinced. "I can't see the reason for your partial memory loss," he said. "I would like to run some tests…"

"No, that's fine," Dean responded immediately, standing up. "You don't need to run tests on me." Ever since he could remember, Dean had hated hospitals. Maybe it had something to do with the amount of times he, Sammy, and their father had ended up in one.

Sam didn't look surprised, so Dean's dislike of hospitals probably hadn't changed.

"I wouldn't advise leaving…" the doctor replied. "Although I can't find anything physically wrong with you, the fact that you've lost part of your memory is very worrying."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Dean waved a hand dismissively as he got off the bed. "I'll come back if anything goes wrong. Come on, Sammy," he added, as he headed towards the door.

"It's _Sam_." The younger Winchester looked apologetically at the doctor, and followed his older brother out of the room. "Well, I'm not gonna carry you back here if you collapse." He closed the door behind him.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to collapse," Dean answered. He looked around the waiting room a moment, and then headed over to Jessica and Amber. "We're leaving," he announced.

"But what about your memory loss…?" Jessica asked, a little hesitantly.

"The doctor couldn't find anything with him," Sam answered before Dean could. "Well, besides the usual, of course."

_I'm not going to rise to the bait,_ Dean thought as he walked swiftly out of the surgery. He was aware of Amber hurrying her steps so that she could walk next to him, but he didn't look at her.

"Seriously, though," Sam said as they got outside. "Are you feeling all right? After all, we don't know what's caused your partial memory loss…"

_Apparently, a blonde woman called Meg has some responsibility, at least…_ Dean thought, turning to look at the other three.

The sun was beginning to set, and the light bathed each person with an eerie glow. Dean hadn't realised how late it was, and he was beginning to feel quite tired.

_I guess being shot in the chest and falling into a parallel world takes a lot out of you…_

"I'm _fine_," Dean said, a little sharper than he had intended. This little 'adventure' was fast losing its appeal. Not that it had had much to begin with…

Dean paused as a sudden idea hit him. "Hey, Sam, Mom and Dad are still living in Kansas, right?"

The younger Winchester shot his brother an are-you-completely-insane? look. "Of course they are," he replied, talking slowly, as if to an idiot or a very young child. "Jeez, Dean. What _do_ you remember?"

_Demons, school, ghosts, moving around from place to place… Oh, and my possessed brother trying to kill me,_ Dean thought, even as he shrugged, and gave an innocent smile. "Well, can we travel down to see them?" he requested, mentally crossing his fingers. Please_ let Missouri be there._

Sam blinked, and then shrugged. "I guess so," he replied. "Maybe next weekend…?"

Dean hid his dismay at his brother's words. _If I'm in a parallel world, how does time pass in the real world? More to the point, what's the situation with _me_ in the real world?_ Missouri would probably be able to help a bit, but, right now, he had no way of contacting her.

In any case, complaining about it wasn't going to do any good.

"Let's just go back," Dean said at last. "We can work out what we're going to do later."

* * *

Dean stood in the doorway of the room that he supposedly shared with Amber, watching the young woman getting undressed. _She doesn't seem to be uncomfortable getting changed in front of me…_ He commented on the fact out loud. 

Amber slipped her nightgown over her head even as she replied, "Of course I'm not. I trust you – we _are_ dating, after all." She petted Brownie – who was curled up on the floor next to her bed – and then pulled a brush through her hair before tying it back.

"But I don't remember you at all," Dean pointed out. "As far as I'm concerned, we're complete strangers." _She's gotta be a total innocent, or dangerously naïve… Probably the latter._

"Well, I'm too tired to argue about it now." Amber rolled over and, with a yawn, closed her eyes. "Besides, if you try anything – I can scream pretty loudly." Almost before she had finished speaking, her breathing deepened and evened out into the rhythm of sleep.

After a few moments, Dean became aware of the scent of lavender perfume filling his nostrils. He wasn't too surprised, when he turned round, to find that Meg was standing behind him.

"What do _you_ want?" Dean demanded, narrowing his eyes.

"Now, is that any way to talk to a lady?" Meg smirked, and then reached a hand up to gently trail her fingers over Dean's face. "We're all alone right now. Why don't we… fool around for a while?"

"With _you_?" Dean recoiled sharply from the woman's touch. Then, a horrible thought came to him. "You'd better not have touched my brother!"

"Why do you care?" Meg asked, tilting her head slightly. "This is only one incarnation of your brother – a possibility, if you like. Every choice you make creates a new parallel world. There are infinite possibilities, and infinite copies of every person. Your brother, Jessica, you… her." She nodded towards the bed, where Amber was sleeping undisturbed.

However, while his owner was apparently unbothered by Meg's presence, Brownie was awake, and growling at Meg, showing his sharp teeth.

_Smart dog,_ Dean thought, keeping his eyes on Meg. Under any other circumstances, the older Winchester brother would be rushing to see if his brother was all right. However, right now, he was standing between Amber and Meg – and Dean was conscious of just how defenceless the former was.

Meg smiled, more or less ignoring the dog's growling. "I'm not going to hurt her," she said, seemingly somehow able to read his mind. Then, abruptly, she laughed. "I wouldn't hurt any of them – yet. But as for giving them nightmares…" She took a step towards Dean.

"You stay away from _everyone_ here!" Dean snapped, not moving from where he was standing. _I don't care if they _are_ copies… If she hurts my brother or anyone else here, I swear I will _kill_ her!_

Meg looked surprised, but only for a moment. Then, she laughed. "You can't protect them forever, you know." Before Dean could respond, she was simply gone.

"Dean?"

Dean blinked a couple of times, and found himself looking at Jessica, who appeared to be worried. The older Winchester brother shook his head a couple of times to clear it, and then asked, "Could you keep an eye on Amber a moment?"

"Sure, but why…?" Before Jessica could finish the question, though, Dean pushed past her, and headed down the hallway to the room his little brother shared with Jessica.

When Dean got to Sam's room, he was relieved to find that his brother was safely asleep in his bed.

For a long moment, Dean just stood in the doorway, watching the sleeping form. It was almost surprising, the way he was so happy to see the innocence of _this_ Sammy, the one who had never had to grow up fighting demons and things that went bump in the night; who had been able to fulfil his dreams.

_I wish it could have always been like this for you, bro…_

Finally, Dean turned, making his way back to Amber's room. Jessica, who was hovering in the doorway, looked up as he approached. "Everything all right?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, fine," he answered, suddenly aware of just how tired he was. "You can go back now." Then, once Jessica was gone, he slid under the blankets next to Amber. _If she doesn't like it, she can complain about it in the morning._ He was too tired to go down to sleep on the couch or even search out a spare room.

For a moment, Dean glimpsed the dog's brown eyes staring disconcertingly at him, but he couldn't be bothered to put the animal out of the room.

Just before he slipped into sleep, though, one last thought went through Dean Winchester's mind:

_What was Jessica doing wandering around at this time of night?_


	7. Chapter 7

**Coma**

**Chapter Seven**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Supernatural – much as I would dearly love to own Sam and Dean – and I'm not making any money from this fic. Any character you don't recognise from the show, I probably own.

**Warning(s):** Violence; possibly some scary parts.

Thanks to the people who have reviewed this fic so far . Also, thanks to all of the people who have read this, even if you haven't reviewed. I think that, as long as there's at least one person who likes this fic, it'll probably continue – so thanks to people who are reading as well as reviewing this

**Brief recap of previous chapter:** Sam went round to Jody's house, and talked with her about what she had seen at the hospital. He also looked at a scrapbook, which revealed that the people who had been killed in Rockford Hospital had apparently been hunters of the supernatural.  
After listening to Sam's message on his answer phone, John decided to turn round and head back to Illinois to help his sons out.  
Meanwhile, Dean was at the hospital, where (surprisingly) the doctor couldn't find anything wrong with him. It also occurred to Dean that, if he could make contact with Missouri, she might be able to help him get back to his own world.  
Later that evening, Dean met Meg again, who made a few threats against Sam, Jessica, and Amber. When she disappeared, Jessica suddenly appeared, apparently having been wandering around late.

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_He looked around as he wandered through the dark forest. How had he got there? He couldn't remember – all he knew was that he was looking for something extremely important._

"_Where are you!" As soon as the words had left his mouth, though, he wished that he hadn't called. The silence was almost deafening, and it had just felt like he was shouting through cotton wool. He rolled his eyes a bit at how stupid he was. This was a _forest_. There was _always_ sound – obviously, he just couldn't hear any right now._

_He slowed his steps a little, trying to remember just what it was he was searching for. All he knew was that it was extremely important to him. Was it a weapon? A precious jewel? He couldn't even picture it inside his mind._

_But if he _didn't_ find this important thing, he knew that something bad would happen. Things were spinning out of control, and there was nothing he could do about it. Not without this… whatever it was. Why couldn't he remember! Argh!_

"_You'll never find it…" a soft voice spoke up from behind him. "It's lost forever."_

_He turned round to find himself face-to-face with a young woman. She was smiling at him – although it wasn't a nice or friendly smile. "You'll never find it," she said again. "So why don't you just give up?"_

_He squinted at her, but, for some reason, couldn't make out any details of what she looked like. It was like he was seeing her face all blurred, as if through water. There was also a dark light around her that seemed to almost sink into her skin – almost like an aura. What did black or very dark brown mean?_

"_I won't give up…" he said. "I'll never give up looking – so why don't you just back off and stop trying to prevent me from finding it?" It probably would have been much more convincing if he could actually _remember_ what it was he was searching for._

_The woman's lips twisted into a cruel smirk, and she put a hand out to gently scratch sharp nails down the side of his face. Despite that, though, he didn't feel any pain. It felt like water moving over his skin. He was powerless to get away from her, though. His limbs felt heavy, and he couldn't even muster the energy to move even a little as her nails trailed lower. She moved closer, and kissed him deeply, then pulled back to whisper in his ear, wrapping her arms around his waist._

"_Why don't you just forget about it? You're not needed anymore. Stay with me, and there'll be no pain any longer…"_

_The desire to push her away wasn't as strong anymore. He raised his hands to place them gently against her shoulders, ignoring the feeling that all he was holding was water. He leaned in to kiss her softly, feeling the cold wetness run over his lips. He didn't pull away. He didn't _want_ to pull away._

_As the kiss continued, soft tendrils of darkness reached into his mind, pushing all memories of what he had lost away until he had no idea what he had been doing before the woman had appeared._

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Sam stirred awake, his eyes opening as he heard the sound of someone moving around in the living room. He sat up, blinking a few times to clear the sleep from his eyes. "What are you doing?"

Jody paused in the middle of putting her shoes on and lacing them up. "Oh… Um, hi," she said, sounding a little uncertain. "You're awake? I thought you'd be sleeping for quite a while longer…"

"I'm a light sleeper." Sam glanced down at his watch – which he'd gone to sleep wearing – and frowned when he saw it was 8.30am. "I thought you weren't going to go to work?" He wasn't sure why he'd expected Jody to take his advice, though. She obviously hadn't liked his order last night, or when he had reiterated it just before they'd gone to bed.

Jody looked down, and shrugged slightly. "I can't _not_ go to work," she said. "If I stay here with nothing to do, I'll go mad. Besides, wouldn't it draw more attention to me if I were to stay here? Even if I just call in sick – well, there are plenty of people who know that I was friends with Melissa…"

Sam could understand Jody's fear – really, he could. However, he couldn't shake the feeling that, if Jody went to the hospital, something bad would happen. After what had happened at his old house in Kansas, and with Jessica's death, he knew that he had to put a lot more faith in these feelings. As well as that, he was pretty certain that Jody moving around hadn't been the only thing that had woken him up. There were images floating around inside his head that he couldn't catch hold of long enough to look at properly.

_Whatever happens… I won't let anyone else die while I can do something to prevent it._

Sam stood up, and walked over to Jody. "It's really not a good idea to go there right now," he stated. His clothes felt a little uncomfortable on him – he didn't usually spend twenty-four hours in one set of clothes. He'd only kept them on because he'd been too tired to head out to the car for a change of clothes.

Jody looked up at him, and frowned. "Don't tell me what to do!" For a moment, fear flashed through her eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it had come, and she set her jaw in determination. "Please get out of my way."

"No." Sam reached out to take hold of Jody's shoulders, gently but firmly. "I know you're scared, and I understand – but you can't go back to the hospital right now. It's too dangerous." He was keeping his tone calm, trying not to panic the woman.

"I don't care!" Jody struggled to free herself. "I don't want to just sit around here doing nothing! Melissa was killed – couldn't I have prevented it somehow!"

"No, I don't think you could have," Sam replied as reassuringly as possible, tightening his hold a little on Jody's shoulders – not enough to hurt, but enough to stop her from breaking free. "You shouldn't blame yourself. There wasn't anything you could have done." In his opinion, Melissa had likely known that digging around in the business of the hospital would get her killed.

But it wouldn't help Jody at all to hear that.

"Yes, there was." Jody blinked furiously in an obvious attempt to get rid of the tears. "There _must_ have been a way!" she insisted.

In a way, Sam was able to empathise with Jody's feelings. The helplessness of knowing that a person she cared about was dead, and feeling that maybe she could have done something about it. Underneath the anger that was there due to feeling helpless, Sam was pretty sure that she was hurting. Hell, it had to be difficult for her. As far as he knew, she hadn't grown up as a hunter at all. She probably hadn't realised anything of the existence of the supernatural until the whole deal with the hospital.

"Let's sit down, have some coffee or something," Sam suggested, still talking calmly so as not to alarm Jody. "We can talk about the best way of preventing the deaths of anyone else, ok?" He still kept his hands on her shoulders, even though Jody's head was now lowered, and she'd stopped struggling to get away. "All right?"

Jody slowly nodded, keeping her head down. "I need to ring the hospital…" she mumbled. She sounded near tears, and Sam was reminded of how tired she had seemed the previous night.

_I bet she still didn't get much sleep last night, if any,_ Sam thought as he helped Jody over to the couch and sat down with her. "If you give me the number, I'll call them for you," he offered, not entirely certain that Jody wouldn't call someone to come and pick her up. "Besides, it'll probably sound more credible if your, er, roommate called you in sick."

"It's written on the pad next to the phone in the hall," Jody answered, resting her elbows on her knees and putting her head in her hands.

"Are you going to be all right waiting here for a few minutes while I make the call?" Sam asked quietly. What he _really_ wanted to ask was if he could trust her to stay where she was while he made the call – but he didn't want to put ideas into her head.

Jody nodded, keeping her head down, and curled up a little on the couch, burrowing into the seat. She didn't look up to even getting on her feet, let alone sneaking out of the house while Sam's back was turned.

Sam wished that he had a better way of helping her, but all he could do was his best. He couldn't tell Jody that everything was going to be all right – because it probably wouldn't be. He just put a hand on Jody's shoulder and squeezed gently, before straightening up and heading out into the hall.

_I'll ask Jody about possibly contacting Melissa's family… But I'd better do that later, so that she doesn't freak out again,_ Sam decided.

The number was right where Jody had said. Sam picked up the phone and dialled, then put it to his ear, tapping his fingers impatiently against his leg as he listened to the ringing on the other end.

Finally, there was a click as the phone was picked up, and a receptionist answered: "Good morning, Rockford Hospital, how can I help?"

"Hello, this is Sam Winchester," Sam replied. "I'm staying with Jody at the moment – she works as a volunteer at the hospital?" He suddenly remembered that he had no idea what Jody's last name actually was, but hopefully there was only one Jody volunteering at the hospital.

For a moment, there was the sound of typing, and then the receptionist asked, "You mean Jody Rider?"

"Yeah, Doctor Nelson's niece," Sam responded. "See, she was taken ill this morning – a bug or something, I guess. It's probably a good idea for her to stay here and rest for a while."

"I'll let her superior know," the receptionist said. "Would you like to talk to Doctor Nelson now?"

"No, that's all right." Sam thought that was rather a strange question to ask. Why would he want to talk to Jody's uncle? Well, maybe to let him know that his niece wasn't going to be in – but surely the receptionist would let the man know that? "I've gotta go now," he continued. "Have things to do. 'Bye." He put the phone down before the receptionist could make any kind of reply.

Heading back into the living room, Sam was rather relieved to see that Jody was still curled up on the couch, although the fact that her face was stained with tears was rather worrying. "Hey…" he moved to crouch down in front of her, unsure of what comfort he could offer. "Don't cry."

"How can I not?" Jody wiped the back of her hand across her eyes, trembling. "I'm going to die, aren't I? Just like Melissa…"

"You're not going to die," Sam replied. "Now, I need you to tell me how to get in contact with Melissa's family. Can you do that?"

"I only know how to contact her younger sister, Amber…" Jody whispered, not looking at Sam. "She goes to Stanford University – I have the number of her apartment there, also her cell phone number…"

"Good." Sam straightened up again, glancing towards the door. "I'm gonna need to use your computer. The office's upstairs, right?"

Jody nodded, picking a little at the material of the couch, making a clear effort to stop crying. "I think I'm going to need to take a shower, and then get changed…" She moved past Sam, heading out of the living room door.

"Get some sleep after you've done that, then," Sam told her. "It's safe, at least for the time being. And you'll just end up wearing yourself out if you don't sleep enough." He was confident that, for now, he'd been able to stave off whatever was going to happen to Jody. However, if he was going to continue doing so, he needed to pay attention to his feelings.

_In any case, Missouri should be calling soon…_ Sam thought.

"Whatever," Jody mumbled. As she stepped into the hallway, though, she turned round to look at Sam. "How's your brother doing?"

Sam looked blankly at Jody. "Who?"

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Dean's eyes flew open, and he jerked upright on the bed, looking wildly around the room, his heart beating violently in his chest.

It had been quite a while since he had been woken up like this. Last time, he'd nearly got his head torn off by a werewolf, having fallen asleep while supposed to be watching Sammy. So it was understandable that jerking awake like that caused a sensation very close to real panic.

_Not that I ever _have_ panicked…_

Amber was no longer lying on the bed next to him. For a moment, Dean was worried, but he relaxed a little when he saw her standing next to the window, looking out. The older Winchester stood up, and headed over to her. "Hey."

"Hey." Amber didn't look at Dean. The left strap of her nightgown had slipped down off her shoulder, revealing a pale scar that stood out starkly against her skin. It didn't look like it had healed properly – Dean could tell because he had plenty of scars like that. Hey, even _his_ handsome body wasn't completely unscathed from all of the fighting he had done against the supernatural.

"Nightmare?" Dean asked, remembering what Meg had said about giving the others nightmares. _I am going to _kill_ that bitch first chance I get!_

"Yeah…" Amber sighed. "It's not that big a deal. I've had nightmares before. I've been awake for a while." She was holding the dog – Brownie – in her arms, and resting her chin on the animal's head. Brownie looked as though he wasn't especially happy with the treatment, but seemed to be putting up with it for a while.

"Oh, I must have been sleeping quite deeply," Dean commented. Usually, he would have woken up – especially if a woman he was lying next to got up.

"Yeah, you must have been," Amber agreed. "Usually, you're a really light sleeper. Not that I wake up during the night that much."

_Ok… Another thing that clearly hasn't changed._

Dean rested his arms on the windowsill and leaned forward a little, looking out of the glass. "So… Were we happy?" He blinked, the question taking him by surprise even as the words left his mouth. _Yeah… Real smooth._ Then again, he was curious about just why the Dean of _this_ world had tried to kill himself. And it wasn't like he really had anything better to do.

Amber directed a confused glance at Dean. "Huh? What do you mean by that?"

Dean shrugged a little. "You know… our relationship," he explained. "What was it like? Were we happy?"

Amber looked away, scratching Brownie behind the ears. "Well… I _thought_ we were," she replied. "But… I don't know. Just before you hit your head – or whatever it was you did – you were acting really strangely. Like you _weren't_ happy. We got into a lot of arguments."

_Not so much a happy, idyllic life at all, then,_ Dean thought. _I suppose I should talk to Sam – in my world, he _is_ the person who knows me best._ Why was Dean suddenly getting the feeling that his life was becoming even worse than a soap opera? At least he could turn them over if they got too annoying.

"Did you think I was seeing someone else?" Dean asked, that being the only question he could think of. It felt strange to be giving someone the third-degree about himself.

_Well… another version of myself._

Amber stared at him. "What kind of a question is that?" she asked. "This feels like a police officer is interrogating me. So who are you accusing me of killing?"

"Whoa, I'm not accusing you of anything," Dean answered, raising his hands. "Think of it from my point of view. I've forgotten quite a lot about my life here. I'm merely being curious, that's all."

"Still sounds like you're accusing me of something," Amber mumbled, her arms tightening around the dog. Brownie gave a little whine in protest, and the young woman loosened her grip a little. "Sorry, Brownie." Then, she sighed. "No, I didn't think you were seeing someone else. It was never something that occurred to me."

_Maybe I _am_ accusing her of something,_ Dean thought. After all, there had to be a reason the other Dean had wanted to kill himself. A jealous girlfriend could always drive someone to suicide, he supposed.

_Then again, so could just about anything else… But I wouldn't try to kill myself for just anything. Maybe Sammy knows more?_

"Is there anything else you want to know?" Amber asked. "Cause if not, I'm just gonna go back to bed."

"No, there's nothing else at the moment," Dean replied. "I'll come back to bed soon… I just don't feel that tired at the moment." He made a slight grimace at the window. _Great… I'm already sounding like a married man, and I'm not even dating Amber._

Amber paused, opening her mouth as if to say something, and then closed it again. She nodded a little, and let Brownie down onto the bed before getting under the blankets and closing her eyes.

After a few moments, Dean turned from the window. "Hey, Amber, do you believe in parallel universes?" he asked, keeping his voice low – just in case the woman had fallen asleep. He didn't _think_ she had, but he didn't want her to accuse him of waking her up. In a way, it was just to cover all of his bases.

Amber opened an eye to look at him. "Parallel universes?" she repeated. "You mean like different worlds which open up every time a choice is made or something like that?"

"Something like that," Dean agreed. "So… What do you think?"

"Ask me again in the morning," Amber mumbled, rolling over onto her side. "I'm too tired to concentrate now."

"Ok." Dean watched her for a few moments, and then turned to look out of the window again, feeling quite troubled. _What's going on with you, Sam? Are you looking up at the night sky back in our world?_

Dean just stayed where he was for quite a while.


	8. Chapter 8

**Coma**

**Chapter Eight**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from the show Supernatural, and I'm not making any money from this fic. Any character you don't recognise from the show, I probably own. (Who else would have them?)

**Warning(s):** AU; spoilers; violence; some swearing

**Author's Note:** Once again, thank you to the people who have reviewed this story – and who've read it as well. Given the fact that I'm usually terrible at updating and can sometimes leave ages between new chapters, I think that I've been doing quite well, personally .

Also, if you don't like the story, please let me know why – and also what sort of things I can do to improve. It would be really helpful, thanks.

And just a comment – I like being evil to the characters in my stories (and roleplays, too, but that's a different thing entirely). So, chances are – the events in this fic are likely to get worse before they get better.

**Brief recap of previous chapter:** Sam (presumably) had a strange dream in which he met what could have been a spirit woman.  
When Sam woke up, he had to talk Jody out of leaving to go to her work at the hospital, and when Jody asked him how his brother was, Sam seemed to have lost all memory of Dean.  
Meanwhile, in the parallel world, Dean woke up to see Amber standing by the window, having had a nightmare. He questioned her a bit about the relationship between her and parallel-world Dean, but dropped it when Amber started to get upset, instead asking whether she believed in parallel worlds – to which he didn't really get a proper response.

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Sam glanced up at the door of the study, tapping his fingers lightly against the computer desk, waiting for the sounds of Jody moving around to stop. Once he was sure she was asleep, he could start looking through the files on the computer without worrying about her coming in and demanding to know what he was doing.

"Coffee?" Jody asked, coming to the doorway of the room. Her dark hair was still a bit damp from the shower she had just had, and she was wearing a dressing gown over a pair of jeans. She was holding a steaming mug in front of her with both hands, being careful so as not to spill any over herself.

"Yeah, thanks," Sam replied, turning his attention back to the computer screen. He already had Amber Williams' number, and he recognised the area code as being Stanford.

_I'm guessing that Melissa's younger sister goes to Stanford University, then…_

"No problem." Jody set the mug on a coaster a few inches from the computer. "So… Do you have your memory back yet?" she asked, tilting her head slightly, watching him with clear concern.

Sam shook his head slightly, though more in disbelief than as a negative response. "I already told you, I don't have a brother," he replied. "I don't know what someone's been telling you, but I _don't_ have a brother. I'm an only child." Except, there was… something. Something that felt wrong.

_All right, now I'm just being silly,_ Sam thought. _It's this job, it's getting to me. Has been since Jessica's death. I must be losing it. Maybe I'm locked up in a padded cell somewhere wearing a straitjacket._

Jody just looked totally confused. "Did something happen to you last night, Sam? You were fine yesterday. You couldn't just forget about your brother like that – you brought him to the hospital. He got shot during a mugging or something like that – it's not like I know all of the details."

_What are you gonna do, Sam? Gun's filled with rock salt; it's not gonna kill me._

_No… But it'll hurt like hell._

Sam shook his head slightly to clear it, and the strange words faded from his mind as suddenly as they had sounded. _Something's trying to make me lose it…_ He was having difficulty remembering just why he was in Rockford, Illinois, though. Something to do with Roosevelt Asylum, but why couldn't he remember the details of what had happened?

_I usually have a really good memory…_

"I keep telling you, you're mistaken," Sam insisted. "I don't have a brother. I've _never_ had a brother."

"Ok… I'll try a different approach," Jody muttered. Then, "So… Why'd you come to Rockford then?"

"My Dad sent a text with co-ordinates to the asylum," Sam explained. "It was, well…" His voice trailed off, and he shrugged slightly. Telling Jody about the ghost of Doctor Ellicott would probably just frighten her again, and he didn't need that to deal with on top of everything else. "It was some… family business," he finished. "Same old, same old." _Yeah… like hunting demons, exorcising ghosts, and so on._

"Hunting." Jody looked over Sam's shoulder. "So what do you need the computer for?" she asked, apparently having given up on trying to convince Sam of the existence of his brother, at least for the time being.

"Research," Sam answered without looking up as he sipped some coffee. "You have internet access, right?"

"Sure." Jody sighed a little, and straightened up, heading towards the door. "I'm gonna go get something to eat before I head off to bed," she said. "Do you want anything?"

"No thanks," Sam replied. "Make sure you _do_ get some rest," he continued, moving his fingers over the keyboard. "I'm probably going to need your help at some stage soon." As far as he was concerned, it was probably better to try and make Jody feel like she could be useful. Otherwise, she might lose hope. It was so easy to do…

"Ok," Jody mumbled, and then Sam heard the sound of her footsteps moving out of the door.

Sam turned his head to watch the young woman leave, and then turned back to the computer. His skills at hacking were about average, but then, unless Jody was very good at protecting her files, and had something to hide, it probably wasn't going to be much of a problem.

Sam made sure to keep alert for any sounds that would indicate Jody coming back up the stairs as he worked. Most of the files that he brought up were unimportant documents, including reports, which had very little interest to him. He began to wonder if there was anything to find at all, and then he tried to open a folder that was password-protected.

The folder wasn't titled anything remotely suspicious – simply _Work at the hospital_. However, the fact that it was protected by a password suggested that Jody was trying to hide something.

_And here's where I stumble… I've never been especially good at discovering passwords._ Little wonder – he had been studying law at university, rather than hacking into computers.

Sam tapped his fingers against the desk as he thought. He really didn't want to just give up now, but how could he guess the correct password? It could be _anything_ – any combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. _Although I suppose it can't hurt to at least try – it could be something to do with what's going on at the hospital._

And there it was again – that feeling of something being wrong. Sam frowned, struggling in his mind for a moment, then simply pushed the feeling aside. Concentrating on something else wasn't going to help at all.

Sam stared at the screen a moment, his lower lip caught between his teeth. What was likely to be the password?

_Something to do with the events at the hospital, possibly, and something that would be easy to remember…_

After a moment, Sam got an idea. What was the name of the first victim Jody had seen? She'd said that there was a person she had seen first in the hospital… _Jon Peterson, that's it._ It was a bit of a long shot, but Sam tried typing it in anyway.

The password worked, and a few files came up. Two of them were video files, and Sam clicked on them after a glance at the door to make sure that Jody hadn't come in while he hadn't been paying attention. He didn't have many qualms about looking at possibly private files – but Jody definitely wouldn't like it.

The video files turned out to be from security cameras at the hospital – at least, Sam assumed that that was what they were. Looking at the times on the screen, Sam could tell that they were from the times that some of the victims had supposedly died. Had Melissa sent the files over to Jody, or had Jody got them herself? Either way, it was clear that no one suspicious had entered the hospital during those times. In fact, the very quietness was suspicious.

_I wonder if there are any security cameras in the rooms of the patients…_ Sam would have to ask Jody about it, but he assumed that she, if not Melissa, had already looked into anything like that.

Sam moved his arm slightly, and his elbow caught the mug of coffee. The mug went flying, and hot liquid spilled everywhere. Sam leaped up, letting out a few choice curse words, and grabbed the box of tissues off the filing cabinet, quickly wiping up the coffee before it could get to the computer.

Sam let out a slight sigh, and dropped the tissues in the bin under the desk. _That was strange…_ It wasn't the fact that he had spilled the coffee, but rather that he was pretty sure that the coffee mug hadn't been close enough for him to knock over. Certainly not just when he'd moved his arm slightly.

Sam righted the coffee mug, and turned his attention back to the computer screen. His eyes widened, and then narrowed slightly.

One of the word files had somehow been opened during the spillage of the coffee, and there were words that had been typed up there:

_STAY AWAY FROM THE HOSPITAL._

Sam stared at the words for a moment, wondering about the source of the ghosts. A spirit? But given that he was apparently a psychic, shouldn't he have felt something? And was the spilling of the coffee of some significance, or just an accident? It had certainly drawn his attention away from the computer screen for a few moments.

It took Sam only a second to realise that he hadn't heard Jody come up the stairs yet. He headed out of the door and down into the living room. Sam didn't call out, partly because he had the feeling that it wasn't going to do anything – he wasn't sure why or where the idea had come from, but he was pretty sure that Jody had gone out of the house and to the hospital.

_But then, why didn't I hear the front door slam?_

In the living room, Sam saw the dressing gown that Jody had been wearing spread out over one of the armchairs. Clearly, she had got dressed, and then put the dressing gown on over her clothes so that Sam wouldn't become suspicious.

"Shit!" Sam ran his fingers through his hair and let out a groan. He'd been so convinced that he'd managed to get Jody round to his way of thinking that he hadn't paid any attention to what the young woman was doing. Did this have anything to do with what she'd been saying about his supposed brother?

Who didn't exist, of course…

_Now what should I do?_ Sam wondered. The feeling that Jody was in danger was still there – but it wasn't _really_ strong. He could perhaps ring the hospital, and make sure that the receptionist he had spoken to knew that something might happen to Jody. He could probably claim to be a police officer or something – then again, he would have to use his mobile, or even a payphone, so that the call couldn't be traced.

_I'll see if I can get hold of Amber, and then call the hospital… While this feeling remains one of mere unease, it's probably not the time to start panicking._

Sam paused, frowning slightly as he seemed to hear a sound behind him, almost like something had fallen. As he turned round, he thought he saw a figure standing there out of the corner of his eye. However, the next moment, it was gone, and he was uncertain of whether he'd seen anything or not.

_What was I doing? Oh, yes… I was going to try phoning Amber Williams, and then contact someone at the hospital._

Sam headed back over to the door, and left the room, moving to go up the stairs. He didn't glance either at the clock on the wall or at the watch on his wrist, which was probably a good thing.

It was much later than he thought…

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Jody headed through the entrance doors into the hospital, and hung her backpack on one of the hooks. She then grabbed one of the white coats, and slipped it around herself, before heading into the waiting area and over to the desk.

Jody's friend, Min-Li, looked up at her from where she was working at one of the computers. "Oh, are you all right?" the Asian girl asked. "Your roommate called and said that you'd been taken ill…?"

"Oh, he's a little… over-excitable," Jody lied. "I just woke up with a headache, and he told me that I shouldn't be going into work today." All right, she knew that coming to the hospital was probably a bad idea. However, she wanted to try and find out what might have happened with Sam and his brother. She was scared, though, and tried to remember what time Min-Li tended to get off work in the morning shifts.

_I hope that she'd be able to come into the room with me while I'm looking…_ Jody wasn't afraid to admit – to herself, at least – that she wasn't exactly brave.

"But you don't look very good," Min-Li commented. "Are you sure you should not be resting? Perhaps you are over-worked."

_More like stressed-out,_ Jody thought. _I suppose I could get some sleeping pills in order to be able to sleep better. However… I don't want to be caught off guard. Not like Melissa clearly was…_

"I'm fine," Jody insisted. "It's just a little… you know? With all of the patients here. It can be quite depressing sometimes… Especially when they pass on, you know?" It was true, in a way – but not the whole truth, of course. Hardly anyone was going to believe Jody if she tried to tell them what had been going on at the hospital. It was only sheer luck that Sam Winchester hadn't thought that Jody was talking nonsense.

Of course, there was now a problem going on with him as well…

Min-Li nodded. "Well, so long as you are fine," she said. "Your schedule's been changed today. You're to help your uncle run tests on Dean Winchester before walking Mrs. Dover in the garden."

"More tests?" Jody frowned. "I thought my uncle already ran loads of tests on Dean Winchester… He hasn't found anything strange, as near as I know. Well, other than the whole coma thing, that is."

Min-Li shrugged. "I do not know the details," she replied. "Doctor Nelson just told me about the changes."

"Right…" Jody decided not to press for more information. She had wanted to go and see Dean anyway, in case there was a way of discovering what was up with Sam. _There's the saying – don't look a gift horse in the mouth. I guess that applies here._ "Well, thanks for letting me know…" she said, smiling at Min-Li. "I'll see you later, ok? Maybe we can meet for drinks or something." _Like after all this is over and I feel safe enough to have a proper social life._

"Ok." Min-Li smiled, and then turned her attention back to the computer. As one of the phones rang, she picked it up and answered, tucking the phone between her neck and shoulder as she continued typing.

Jody turned to walk away from the desk. As she did so, a single thought flittered through her mind. _Sam called me in sick… So why was the schedule changed?_

Jody was caught up in her thoughts that she almost didn't notice the person she nearly walked into.

It was a well-built older man with black hair, wearing dark clothes – he seemed almost… out of place in the hospital. He smiled, seemingly polite enough, but Jody imagined a menacing interior hidden behind that mask. Of course, those were just her thoughts. Nowadays, she was seeing threats everywhere.

Jody pushed those unhelpful thoughts away, and smiled at the man. "Hello, can I help you?" she asked politely.

"Yes, my name is Doctor Herring," the man replied. "I'm a specialist working in the situations of coma victims. I was asked to come here to take a look at a patient here who's in a coma – Dean Winchester, I believe. That _is_ the one, correct?"

"Yes, he's a coma victim," Jody answered, a little hesitantly. But it wasn't like the news about coma victims was private – and the man obviously already knew about Dean Winchester. "Do you have some ID?" she asked. "And who asked you to come here?" Jody didn't know every person who worked in the hospital, of course – but she was trying to get some idea of whether he was lying or not.

"It was Doctor Ward who asked me to come," the man responded, as he reached into his wallet. He took out an ID card, and held it up for Jody to see before putting it away again. "May I see him?"

"I guess so…" Jody couldn't see much of a problem with that, especially since the man was apparently going to be trying to help Dean Winchester. _Sam would be happy about that… If he actually remembered his brother, that is._ Jody wasn't going to let the man be left alone with Dean, though. Not until she was absolutely certain that he wasn't a threat.

"Good. Then please lead the way?" Doctor Herring requested. "Miss… ah…?"

"Just call me Jody," Jody said as she started to move in the direction of the room that Dean had been put in.

"Then you can call me John." The doctor followed Jody as she moved out of the reception area. "Why don't you tell me what happened to Dean Winchester?"

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Amber's eyes opened, and she sat up, looking around the room. She had a vague memory of Dean getting into bed again – but she hadn't felt like talking, so she had let herself slip back into sleep, though had stayed pretty much on the far end of the bed.

It didn't matter that she was awake now. Dean wasn't lying in the bed anymore, and Amber glanced around with a vague feeling of confusion and disorientation.

She then noticed the envelope lying on the pillow next to her.

With a slight frown, Amber sat up, and reached for the envelope. All right, the Dean that _she_ knew had left her messages before, but this Dean seemed… different, somehow. Sure, his mannerisms were the same; the sort of things he said could only be Dean – but there was… _something_. It was like he was a totally different person in a way. Of course, that was impossible. He was enough like Dean that there was no way he could be a doppelganger or whatever those so-called doubles were.

_I'm just freaked because Dean's somehow completely forgotten me…_

And what had the whole business with the salt been about? If Amber didn't know better, she would have thought that Dean had deliberately tipped the salt over her head. But why would he do that?

_It wasn't too difficult to tell that he was lying about the salt, because that whole story about fish and chips was completely ridiculous._

Amber sighed a little, and did her best to push those thoughts away. Something had clearly happened to Dean, and he had lost part of his memory for a while. That was all. He'd remember her and their relationship. He _had_ to.

It was too bad that this wasn't a movie where love could make Dean remember…

"Oh, well." Amber sighed and, hearing Brownie stir put her hand down to gently pet the dog, before opening the envelope to read the note that had been left there.

_Hey. Sammy said that you didn't have classes today, so I thought I'd let you sleep. You look like you need it. I've gone out to go look something up, but I've got my mobile with me – I assume you have the number. But don't call unless it's a real emergency.  
__I made some pancakes for breakfast, but don't worry. I'll pay you back for what I used, even if I have to hustle pool.  
__We can talk about that question I asked you later.  
__Dean._

Amber sighed, and dropped the note and the envelope onto the dressing table next to her side of the bed. She would have to remember to put it in with the recycling when the time came in the next couple of days.

_And even in this short note, he sounds like a different person…_ In the note, he was talking about hustling pool as if it were the most natural thing in the world. But the Dean Amber knew rarely used those skills – only when he really needed to. So what else was different about him? And why did those differences make her feel nervous, and almost a little frightened?

_No matter how different he seems around me, he's still Dean… Besides, it's not like Sam seems to have noticed anything._

Amber gave a slight sigh, and straightened up off the bed, heading into the adjoining bathroom. She pulled the band out of her hair and slipped out of her nightgown. She then opened the shower door before getting in, and turned the spray on.

For a moment, Amber just closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of the warm water flowing over her body. A bath might have been better to relieve the stress of the previous day, but she tended to prefer taking showers. Very often, she didn't have the time to spend taking a leisurely bath.

Something passed by at the corner of Amber's vision.

The young woman frowned, and glanced to the side. The glass was misted a little by the steam, but she wiped a hand across the surface, feeling almost sure that someone had just walked into the bathroom.

But there was no one there.

Amber frowned, and then let out a slightly nervous laugh. _Heh… I'm starting to let my imagination run away with me._ Despite that, though, she still washed her hair and body in record time before quickly getting out of the shower and wrapping her towel around her. She then put another towel around her hair before drying herself. Heading back into the bedroom, she got changed into a white blouse over a black skirt.

"Let's go downstairs and get something to eat," Amber said as she picked up Brownie and headed out of the door. Dean had mentioned pancakes in his note – Amber wanted to make some. She was actually feeling quite hungry, so she decided that she was going to cook some bacon and eggs as well.

Once she was in the kitchen, Amber let Brownie down onto the floor, and then put some food into a bowl for him. As she turned to start making the pancakes, she paused.

On the side was a plate of pancakes. Amber wondered at the sight a moment, then realised what it had to be. Dean had likely made too many pancakes, so had left some of them on the side as opposed to throwing them away.

_He did that a lot before…_

Amber cracked a couple of eggs into a frying pan, and then put three slices of bacon as well. She turned the heat up, and then waited a little impatiently for the food to cook. She almost couldn't believe just how hungry she was. It felt like she hadn't eaten in days, rather than just last night.

_It's not even like I've been doing anything strenuous…_

As Brownie finished crunching his food, the food finished cooking. Amber put one of the slices of bacon into Brownie's bowl, and then put the rest of the bacon, as well as the eggs, onto the plate with the pancakes. She grabbed a knife and fork out of one of the drawers, and headed into the dining room with the food, leaving Brownie behind eating the bacon.

Amber sat down at the dining room table, and started eating. She wasn't really bothered about being in the house on her own – she had a number of reports that she needed to finish off. _And I'm not really sure how I'm going to answer that question…_

Amber was about halfway through her food when she heard the phone ringing. She gave a heavy sigh, and set her knife and fork down, before getting up and moving into the hall to pick up the phone. "Good morning, Amber speaking, what can I do for you?"

There was silence on the other end.

Amber frowned. "Hello?" she said into the phone. "Hello?" She was more annoyed than really nervous. She didn't need prank phone calls right now.

Finally, the voice said: "Home alone, Amber Williams? What a pity… You can't be too careful these days. Otherwise, you might go the same way as your sister…" The voice sounded muffled – but the words were clear enough.

Amber stiffened slightly. "Who is this?" she demanded. _Someone's playing a joke…? It's not very funny…_

The only answer Amber got was soft laughter, and then the call was disconnected.

Amber stared at the phone for a long while, feeling kind of sick to the stomach. _It's some kind of sick joke… It _has_ to be._ Anyone could have found out about Melissa's death. After all, it wasn't like she had kept it secret at all… And what awful person would call her up in a manner that was pretty much threatening?

Amber's hand shook as she dropped the phone back into its cradle. She was no longer content with staying in the apartment on her own. She wanted someone, _anyone_, with her – even if it was Dean who didn't remember anything about her and their relationship. He had told her only to call if it was an emergency – but what else was this?

Amber grabbed the phone again, and dialled Dean's number, knowing it by heart.


	9. Chapter 9

**Coma**

**Chapter Nine**

**Disclaimer:** Much as I would like to, I don't own anything from the show Supernatural, and I'm not making any money from this fic. Anything you don't recognise from the show, I probably own.

**Warning(s):** Violence; spoilers; some swearing; possibly some scary parts; possibly some slight ooc:ness, mainly in Sam.

**Author's Note:** Again, thank you to everyone who reviewed – and read but didn't review, of course. It's always nice to open my e-mails and find a review – makes writing worthwhile, in a way, although I write for myself as much as other people.

**Brief recap of previous chapter:** Sam still doesn't have any memory of Dean whatsoever. Jody ended up sneaking out of the house and to the hospital, where she met up with a Doctor Herring specialising in coma victims.  
Meanwhile, in the parallel world, Amber woke up to find that she was alone in the apartment. After getting some breakfast, she received a phone call from an anonymous person which mentioned her sister.

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Sam sighed, leaning back slightly as he studied his notes that he had written about each of the cases of the coma victims. Well, this was further evidence to disprove what Jody had said about him having a brother. Flicking through the rest of the notebook, he couldn't find any mention of a brother anywhere.

_I guess maybe I wouldn't include any brother I have in my notes…_ But surely, if Dean, or whoever he was, was in a coma, Sam would have made _some_ mention of it?

_This whole thing doesn't make any sense to me…_

Sam pushed his hands through his hair and gave another heavy sigh. Even if Jody was right and he had a brother, why would he just suddenly forget him like that? All of Sam's memories consisted of only him and his dad – sometimes not even John Winchester. They'd got through an entire line of babysitters given the amount of different places they'd moved to, Sam remembered.

_So what the hell is going on?_

The logical thing to do would be to head off to the hospital. He could take a good look at this guy who was supposed to be his brother and then drag Jody away – kicking and screaming if necessary – from the dangerous place and read her the riot act for disobeying his orders and going straight into a situation she knew full well was bad.

_But why doesn't that sound right…?_

Sam had already gone rifling through Jody's medicine cabinet, and now he popped a couple of Tylenol in his mouth and swallowed with some of the water he had since picked up.

God, he needed something stronger…

The Tylenol helped – at least with the headache Sam could feel gradually growing. However, they did absolutely nothing for the cobwebby feeling inside his mind. He hadn't felt this bad since he had gone back home to Kansas to help the family that had moved into his old house, where everything had started.

Sam rubbed the bridge of his nose. He could remember seeing the ghost of his mother, and watching helplessly as she had told him that she was sorry, and then turned to destroy the poltergeist. He hadn't understood, then, what she had been saying sorry for, but now he thought he did.

At least a little…

_There was so much contained in those two little words… It was all she had time for… And she sacrificed herself to save me…_

_And why does saying, or even thinking, 'me' feel so wrong?_

Well, the logical thing to do would be to assume that he really _did_ have a brother. However, if that were the case, why didn't Sam remember him? What possible purpose could _any_ supernatural entity have for making one brother lose all of his memories of the other? Chalk up one more thing that didn't make sense.

_I suppose it's connected to the writing on the computer telling me to stay away from the hospital…_

His cell phone started ringing.

Sam was abruptly pulled out of his thoughts, and it took him a moment to realise where the sound was coming from. Then, he fumbled for his phone, and put it to his ear. "Hello?" He was too rattled to think of anything as unimportant as giving his name to whoever was calling. Besides, anyone who had his cell phone number probably knew who he was as well.

"Hello there, Sweetie," Missouri's warm tone came through the phone. "I was going to leave it until tomorrow, but I've booked a flight down to Illinois this afternoon. I think you need all the help you can get."

Sam closed his eyes for a moment. "Yeah…" He was beyond relieved to have the knowledge that someone he knew was going to be coming down to help him out. Could Missouri somehow resolve the confusion that he felt?

"Of course I will," Missouri said, her tone reassuring, as she apparently heard what Sam was thinking. "I understand that this is all very confusing for you – for now, all I can tell you is that you should follow your instincts and go with what _you_ think is right." She paused, then continued, "I'll be on the 3pm flight. You can come and pick me up at around 3.30. And it would probably be a good idea to call that young woman sooner or later."

"Young woman?" Sam repeated, even as he struggled to make sense of the other things that Missouri had said.

Surely he was already following his instincts…?

If Missouri heard his thoughts, she made no mention of it. Instead, she explained, "You've been thinking about whether or not to call that reporter's sister – Amber. If you're going to do it at all, you'd better do it sooner rather than later."

"All right," Sam replied obediently. He wasn't sure why he was so willing to do what Missouri told him to – he knew that he trusted her, even though he'd only really met her on his return to Kansas. Maybe it was just the way she was… Out loud, he asked, "Do you know about my…?"

"Your brother, Dean?" Missouri interrupted gently. "Sam, I can't tell you exactly what's going on, but I understand how confused you must be feeling right now. Your mind feels like there's a fog inside it. I have the feeling that this is something you need to break through on your own."

Sam couldn't stop a sigh from escaping him. _If anyone could have helped me, I'm sure that it would have been Missouri…_

"I'm sorry honey, but I can't tell you everything," Missouri told Sam softly. "Just follow your instincts – what do _you_ think is right to do?"

"I really don't know," Sam admitted, clinging to his cell phone as though he somehow wanted to sink through it and end up with Missouri. "This is all so… I don't know what to do. I feel like a part of me is missing."

"That's because it is," Missouri answered simply. "You and your brother – you go together. Light and dark, yin and yang. One cannot exist without the other. From the very moment of your mother's death, your souls were bound so tightly together that separation is pretty much impossible."

"Oh…" Sam said, a little hesitantly. Then, he sighed. "I'll come pick you up at the airport at 3.30. Bye for now."

"Goodbye."

Sam disconnected the call, and just sat in silence for a moment, lost in his thoughts. He had hoped that getting a call from Missouri would alleviate at least some of the confusion he was feeling – instead, he just felt even worse.

If Missouri's words were to be believed, something had happened to make Sam lose all memory of his brother. Trouble was, Sam wasn't sure he _did_ believe Missouri.

It wasn't that Sam thought the woman was lying – far from it. He was sure that she believed her own words.

_I just think that she's somehow mistaken…_

Either way, Sam was definitely not going to discover the truth just by sitting around doing nothing. Besides, Missouri had told him to call Amber soon, if he was going to at all. Truth to tell, Sam didn't _really_ think that Melissa's sister would be able to offer much help.

But he was willing to try anything…

There was a phone near the computer in the room. Sam half-considered using his cell phone, but only for a moment. After all, if Jody wasn't there for him to ask, then he might as well use the phone to call Amber Williams. He was sure it wouldn't be a problem to give Jody some money towards the phone bill, with all of the credit scams and hustling pool. He would have no trouble getting enough money.

Sam reached out and picked up the phone. Putting it to his ear, he glanced once at the number Jody had given him, and then dialled.

The phone rang for quite a while, and Sam frowned to himself, tapping his fingers impatiently against the surface of the desk. Just when he was about to give up and put the phone down and try again later, there was a click as the phone on the other end was picked up.

"Hello, who is this?" a tremulous voice said on the other end of the phone.

"My name's Sam Winchester," Sam replied. "I'm calling to speak to Amber Williams." He _thought_ that it was her who had answered the phone, but there was no way to be certain. Besides, the person on the other end of the phone sounded nervous enough as it was. Calling her by her name would probably just freak her out even more.

"Um… That's me…" Amber responded, sounding really hesitant. "What do you want?"

"I'm a friend of Jody Rider," Sam answered. "I believe she knew your sister? Listen, I was sorry to hear about your sister's death, but I believe she may have had some information pertaining to… well, to a number of articles she wrote." It suddenly occurred to him that it was altogether possible that Jody's phone was bugged.

_I should have thought of that… Why didn't I?_

"Articles?" Amber repeated. "Which ones?" Somehow, Sam had the feeling that she wasn't only addressing the question to him. _Is there someone else in the house with her…?_ Sam felt a chill run up his spine.

"It doesn't matter," Sam said quickly, definitely feeling like he should have thought this through. "Um… Is there any way you could get to Rockford, Illinois?"

"Um…" Amber's voice trailed off, and Sam could imagine her staring at the phone and biting her lip slightly. "I'm not sure if I can… I have… things to do."

Sam could hear the fear in her voice, though. Something about the thought of coming to Rockford clearly scared her. The logical reason would be because of her sister being killed there. _But why do I get the feeling that it's something more than that?_ "You don't have to stay for long," he said, his voice softly persuading. "Just bring as much of what your sister was working on as you can, please…"

"I'll think about it," Amber responded, sounding rather hesitant. "What number can I get you on…?"

Sam gave the young woman his cell phone number. Almost before the last number was out of his mouth, Amber disconnected the call without a word.

Sam stared at the phone for a moment, biting his lip thoughtfully. He knew that he should feel elated at the fact that he was getting that much closer to discovering what was going on but, in reality, he simply couldn't muster up the spirit to.

In that short conversation, Sam's instincts told him what years of studying couldn't discover with any more accuracy – and he didn't even know why.

Amber was insane…

_I really should be getting Jody out of that hospital…_

But his eyes were drooping, and his limbs felt heavy. Sam couldn't prevent himself yawning. He wanted to stand up, to do _anything_, but he felt like his legs wouldn't support him.

With a low groan, Sam slipped out of the chair and into a crumpled, lifeless heap onto the floor.

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John Winchester followed the young woman into the room, and had to physically stop himself from rushing to his oldest son's side. The sight of Dean hooked up to all those machines was a terrible one. The sight of his son's pale face and limp form almost brought tears to the old hunter's eyes.

Almost, but not quite.

John tore his gaze away from Dean with obvious reluctance, and scanned the room in a seemingly innocent manner, taking in everything – from the sunlight peeking through the yellow curtains, to the sombre quietness of the doctor tending to Dean.

The girl – Jody – cleared her throat, and then shuffled her feet slightly as the noise drew the attention of the two men. "Uncle…" she addressed the doctor. "This is Doctor Herring – he specialises in coma victims." She gestured towards John.

_So _this_ is the man who's been working on my son._

"It's about time they sent someone who has proper training," the doctor said bitterly. "I'm Doctor Nelson – but please call me Richard."

"John," the hunter replied, gripping Doctor Nelson's hand in a firm shake. "Could you tell me what you know of this… Dean Winchester?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you much," Doctor Nelson answered. "He was brought in by his brother, and as far as I know, the young man was harmed during a mugging. But I must admit that no attack I ever saw had _rock salt_ in their guns – and then used an entirely different weapon on the person being mugged."

Sam was abruptly reminded of the message left on his phone by an obviously tearful Sam. It took him a moment to find his voice, since what he _really_ wanted was to find his youngest son. _More to the point… Why isn't Sam _here Deciding that he would have to worry about that in a little while – since it would draw unwanted attention if he were to leave – John asked, "Is there anything to suggest just _why_ he's in a coma? Any sign of possible brain damage?" It was a little hard to keep the worry out of his voice – but he _thought_ he'd managed it.

Before Doctor Nelson could say anything, Jody spoke up: "Min-Li mentioned about you finding something in the tests…? At least, it _seemed_ to be…"

John _stared_ at Jody for a moment, and then turned his attention back to Doctor Nelson. "Are the people working here in the habit of gossiping about patients?" he asked, his tone scathing. Taking his anger and frustration out on an innocent person wasn't a good thing to do, but there was nothing evil around to fight.

"No, they're not," Doctor Nelson replied, directing a hard glance at Jody. "On the other hand… The receptionist _did_ know that Jody was to be working with me today, so she probably assumed that Jody needed to know that." He nodded to his niece. "It was correct anyway – you _do_ need to know, and, of course, you do as well," he continued to John Winchester.

"What did you find?" John demanded, struggling to keep the impatience out of his voice.

"I ran some tests to find out what he may have consumed before the mugging occurred," the doctor explained. "I hoped to find something that would suggest a reason for Dean Winchester to be in the coma – maybe something that reacted with the rock salt. Anyway, what I found was…" He paused a moment, and glanced towards Jody, before returning his gaze to John. "… Interesting, to say the least. To the best of my knowledge, right before the mugging, Dean Winchester consumed a large amount of alcohol – as well as sleeping pills."

Jody's face mirrored the shock that coursed through John Winchester at those words. "He… tried to kill himself…?" the hunter whispered, almost to himself. _My son wanted to die… Dean deliberately took an overdose._

"Well… That's what it _seems_ like," Doctor Nelson said. "Of course, there's no way to be certain. Could you ask his brother if he happened to be showing any signs of depression, talk of suicide?" he addressed Jody.

Even as caught off guard by this sudden knowledge as he was, John was still able to notice the strange shadow that crossed Jody's face. It was gone in an instant, and her uncle didn't seem to have noticed anything strange – but John was certain that he had seen it. What had it been? Fear? Worry? Something else?

"Are you close to this man's brother?" John asked Jody, making sure to keep his tone only to one of polite interest. Perhaps this woman could shed some light on what was happening with Sam.

Jody shrugged slightly. "I wouldn't say that…" she replied. "He needed a place to stay – and I had some room at my apartment. I just figured that… well, it wasn't like anyone else was using it…" Her voice trailed off, and she glanced down a moment, lacing her fingers behind her back – like she felt she had said too much.

_How do they do it?_ John wondered as he considered this information. Dean had certainly been the one with the most luck with women – but it wasn't like Sam couldn't get what he needed, either. Jody seemed to have some kind of secret – but then, it wasn't like that was anything new. _Everyone_ had secrets. The question was – was it Jody's secret, or was it something she was keeping secret for Sam?

"Are you going to need to talk to him?" Jody asked, tilting her head slightly, making an obvious effort to recover.

_She'd be doing a good job of it, too, if I was anyone else – but I'm used to observing people, looking for the slightest hint of something they might be hiding._ John considered Jody's question for a moment, and then shook his head. "No, not right now," he replied, hating himself for saying it – but he couldn't do anything for Sam, and if his youngest son knew that he was around, things would be that much worse.

_Even coming here might have been a mistake, with that demon around…_

But John had _had_ to come. There'd been no choice. If he had just ignored Sam's message on his cell phone, he would never have forgiven himself. These were his children. He couldn't let them know he was there.

But he could do his best for them anyway.

"Well, what sort of ideas can you give to help in this situation?" Doctor Nelson asked John, ignoring Jody for the time being.

Before John could formulate any kind of response, Jody spoke up: "Um… I have a question. About those people who have been in comas before? Did any of their… relatives experience anything like memory loss?"

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"I still don't know why you wanted to come to the _library_," Sam said, shaking his head, as he walked Dean up to the building. "Did you suddenly remember an assignment you have to complete or something?"

"Nah, still no memory," Dean replied. "But there _is_ something I want to look up. It's to do with the idea of parallel worlds." He might be taking a chance, mentioning this to him, but Sam was still his little brother – it didn't matter that this was a different version. Dean couldn't just stop trusting him.

Sam paused, glancing towards Dean. "A parallel world?" he repeated. "What, do you think that's real or something?"

_Well, if I didn't before, I certainly do now,_ Dean thought. He shrugged to Sam's question. "Well… It's a possible explanation as to why I've forgotten some things, and some of my memories are different…"

"Dude, you've lost your mind," Sam stated, shaking his head. "What _possible_ reason could you have for thinking like that? Sure, you've forgotten a few things, and seem a little fuzzy on the details of others – but that just means you probably drank too much last night, slipped, and hit your head."

"Then how do you account for the fact that the doctor could find no trace of alcohol in my body!" Dean demanded.

"I don't know!" Sam replied. "I don't get you, Dean! Maybe you _are_ a different person – because you sure as hell aren't acting like my brother!"

Dean winced. _Ow… That hurt._ "Sure I'm your brother," he said out loud. "I'm just a… different version. And I need to get back – because otherwise the version of you in _my_ world will fall apart."

"Why, what happened?" Sam asked, apparently having decided that he might as well listen to what Dean had to say. Even in this version, Dean could see the spark of interest in his eyes. Sam's mind was always ready to learn new things.

_You would have made one hell of a lawyer… You could be anything you set your mind to._

"You shot me," Dean said simply. Then, seeing the look in Sam's eyes, he quickly continued, "Well, it's not like it was your fault… See, there was this doctor spirit – a psychotic one – which possessed you, and made all of your anger come to the fore… Hey, where are you going?"

"I'm not going to stay and listen to this," Sam replied without turning round. "I think you need some serious help, Dean… So why don't you just do whatever it is you want to do, and I'll talk to you when your head's clearer." Without waiting for any kind of response, he simply turned and walked away.

_Heh… This'll be interesting to tell _my_ Sammy when I wake up,_ Dean thought, automatically shoving away the pain that Sam's words had caused him. _I think I'll leave out the part about Jessica being alive, though… Really don't want to hurt him._ That was all assuming that Sam wasn't going to feel really guilty and all about what happened – though it wouldn't have surprised Dean if he _did_.

_Never would have thought that he'd shoot me… Then again, I _did_ goad him. Gotta learn when to keep my mouth shut and make nice with the psychotic brother._

Dean started to head into the library, and then paused when his cell phone started ringing. For a moment, he considered ignoring it, but then decided that he didn't want to have to deal with the headache _that_ might cause. So he moved aside, and answered the phone. "Hello?" he said, a little sharply.

"Dean?" Amber's voice came over the phone, sounding shaky and hesitant.

"What's wrong?" Dean demanded, as always alert to any change in someone's tone that might indicate something out of the ordinary. "Did something happen?"

"I got a… phone call," Amber admitted. "Could you come over? Please?"

Dean hesitated, glancing at the library – but then, spending time with a cute girl won out over studying every time. He'd always seen research as a necessary evil. Besides, it was always possible that Amber could help him out with the whole getting back to his world thing. He couldn't ignore the obvious fear in her voice, either.

"I'll be right there," Dean promised, then disconnected the call. Turning, he walked away from the library, heading in the direction of the apartment.

Behind him, a shadow near one of the trees shifted.


	10. Chapter 10

**Coma**

**Chapter Ten**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Supernatural – as much as I would like to – and I'm not making any money from this fic. Any character you don't recognise from the show, I probably own

**Warning(s):** Spoilers; some swearing; angst; a small(!) amount of making out; some violence; some bits that could be seen as scary/horrible

**Author's Note:** -Hugs everyone who's read and reviewed this fic-. You're all really great! I must admit to some surprise here with the amount of people adding this to story alert lists and things. Hm… I wonder how many reviews there'd be if _every_ person who read this fic left one.  
Oh, well… It doesn't matter. As I said before, so long as there's at least one person reading and enjoying this fic, it'll likely continue. But as I have also said before – I welcome _constructive criticism_. If there are things readers think could be better or done differently, then by all means, point it out.  
Having said that – I guess I must be doing _something_ right with this fic. Now to keep the readers interested…

**Brief recap of previous chapter:** Sam talked to Missouri on the phone, and agreed to pick her up at the airport that afternoon. He then talk to Amber, and attempted to persuade her to come to Rockford. After hanging up, he then collapsed.  
At the hospital, Doctor Nelson revealed to Jody and John Winchester (going by the name of Doctor Herring) that he had found large quantities of alcohol and sleeping pills in Dean's stomach.  
Meanwhile, Dean attempted to persuade Sam of the other world of the existence of parallel universes – this ended with Sam walking off. Before Dean could go into the library, though, Amber called him…

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_He opened his eyes as he felt soft hands stroking his face and heard a voice whispering softly in his ear. He didn't recognise the words – but he wasn't worried. He closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the gentle touch._

"_You haven't been paying any attention to me…" He could hear the pout in her voice, and he released a sigh, opening his eyes to look up at the woman whose lap he was resting in._

"_I'm sorry."_

"_You should be." She smiled, and gently smoothed his hair. "I don't know why you stay in that world, though…" she continued, pursing her lips slightly. "Isn't it much better to be here with me, where there's nothing to concern you? No hurt or rage exists here in this world…" Her voice dropped to a whisper, and then she lowered her head to kiss him gently, holding him close._

_He returned the kiss, ignoring the slight niggling sensation at the back of his mind that seemed to suggest something was wrong. He drew back as he pushed himself up, and wrapped his arms around the slim form in front of him, _needing_ to be close to the woman. He kissed her again, deepening the kiss and pushing her back against one of the trees._

_She didn't taste like water anymore… He couldn't have described what the sensation was like, but it seemed to be a combination of all the scents and tastes he had ever enjoyed in his life. He pressed nearer, needing more, _wanting_ more. Right then and there, all he wanted was to stay there like that with her forever. He could have forgotten about everything else – he _wanted_ to do that._

_But something was still trying to get his attention…_

_He frowned, pulling away from her arms. "There's something I have to find…" He made no attempt to hide the urgency in his tone. There was something really important to him – and if he didn't find it, things were going to get even worse._

_The woman frowned, and reached out for him. "Forget about it…" she said. "It's not important."_

_He was trying to dispel the fog that had taken hold of his mind, but it was quite strong. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't pierce it through completely._

_But he did realise that, whoever this woman was, she wasn't a friend._

"_Stay away from me…!" Sam exclaimed, backing away from her. "You… did something to me! What did you do to my mind!"_

"_Nothing that you didn't want," the woman replied, watching him closely. "I made the pain and guilt go away… Why don't you say thank you? It was what you wanted!" She took a step towards him, and then paused as Sam began to back away. "I'm not going to give it back to you."_

Wake up!_ Sam mentally ordered himself, hoping against hope that it was just a dream… But nothing was working. He wondered if he should pinch himself – but he was worried that it would actually hurt. Apparently, he had to find some _other_ way of waking him up – but one thing he _wasn't_ going to do was go anywhere near the woman if he had any choice in the matter._

I can't find a way to wake up until I remember what I've lost, though…

_As if reading his mind, the woman commented, "You're not going to be able to get away from me. But I'm not going to hurt you. If you do what I tell you, your life will be perfect."_

_Sam shook his head, backing away even further from the woman, not caring that he was just moving deeper into the dark forest. He wanted to get away from the woman, and he wanted to find what he had lost – but it seemed like neither of those things was possible._

Why can't I remember…? What's the use in being a psychic if I can't even break something like this?

"_I can give Jessica back to you."_

_Sam hesitated in spite of himself. The woman's words were surprising in just how tempting it was to stay and listen to her. He knew that it was probably some kind of trick, but he couldn't prevent himself from listening._

_Almost unconsciously, Sam took a step back towards the woman, in spite of his realisation that bringing someone back from the dead was impossible._

_The desire to see Jessica, to hold her – even if it was for only one last time – was intense. Sam started to reach a hand out to the woman._

I wouldn't do that.

_Sam paused, coming back to himself suddenly and violently. Four simple words – and yet, they stopped the fog that had started coming with the woman's mention of Jessica._

Seriously, I wouldn't,_ the voice continued. _You don't know where that bitch has been, or even if she's had all her shots.

_Sam was almost afraid to turn round, to turn his back on the woman, in case it was some kind of trick. But the woman's face was turning hard and cold, and Sam was beginning to remember what he had forgotten, what he had lost. As he turned round, he clung to that voice like a drowning man clinging to a lifeline, offering a silent prayer to whatever god watched over his family._

_Dean hadn't changed a lot – certainly not as much as he _should_ have done, with him being in a coma. His eyebrows were drawn together, and his eyes were focused on Sam. The younger Winchester thought he saw a flicker of… _something_ cross his brother's face, but he couldn't be certain._

"_Dean…?" Sam whispered. "Does this mean that you're…?"_

"_Sorry, little brother," Dean replied, his tone and face sympathetic. "This is your subconscious – you've just conjured me up."_

_Sam frowned, and turned back to the woman. "Does this mean that I've also conjured _her_ up?" he asked. In a way, that could be a _good thing_ – that this was the product of a mind hurting too much with grief and guilt to deal with what was going on in real life. Sam realised that he had to face up to what he had done, though, no matter how tempting it was to dump the responsibility onto someone else's shoulders._

_But Dean was shaking his head. "I'm afraid not, Sammy," he replied. "This kind of demon feeds on the fear and grief that people are suffering. The emotions give them their power. Remember, you read up on these types of demons a while back." As he spoke, Dean walked up to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with his brother._

_Then and there, Sam didn't care that Dean was only awake and well in his subconscious. It felt better than he could say to have his brother standing next to him, _supporting_ him, just like he always had done. Dean had always been willing to protect Sam, to give up his own life and happiness if it meant that his little brother could be safe._

_Sam had always thought that the same had been true for him…_

_The woman was hesitating. With each second that passed, Sam could feel his mind growing sharper and sharper. Something was also beginning to occur to him about the demon – the Vereor demon, if he recalled right. It created a form of mind control in order to keep its victims calm and docile while it fed._

_But once the mind control was fully broken, it temporarily stunned the demon…_

"_Very good, little brother." Dean raised his hands to applaud Sam, but didn't take his eyes off the woman. "You know what you have to do now, little brother? Keep as far away from her as possible until you're woken up." He raised his eyebrows at Sam. "I mean… Tell me you at least have a pretty woman with you who'll make sure you wake up. No? Then at least tell me you did something freakishly boring like set your alarm."_

"_I sort of fell asleep before I had the chance to do anything like that," Sam answered, ignoring the first comment about the pretty woman._

_Dean rolled his eyes, and sighed. "You're falling apart without me there…" he commented. "Better get moving, you know. I'll hold her off."_

_Sam hesitated a moment, then, "Won't it affect _me_ if something were to happen to you?" The demon still seemed to be stunned, and Sam was gradually beginning to get suspicious. Surely it wouldn't be lasting _this_ long?_

_Dean turned, and smirked at Sam. "Oh, nothing's going to happen to _me_," he replied. "But it'll be _you_ who gets hurt anyway."_

_Sam suddenly realised that the demon hadn't been stunned at all. It had allowed him to remember what he had lost – his brother – simply in order to be able to attack him from a new angle._

_Sam backed away, no longer feeling safe around _this_ Dean. It wasn't even Dean at all, but some kind of illusion created by the demon. He couldn't prevent the feeling of despair that washed over him. That must have been the demon's intention, but Sam couldn't figure out a way of breaking the hold. He continued to back away, but his efforts were futile._

_And the demon knew it._

_Before he could do anything else, the form of the demon began to melt away, revealing something that was truly horrible._

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Doctor Nelson turned round with a slight frown, watching his niece with slightly narrowed eyes. "Why would you ask that?" he questioned. "Do you really think it's an appropriate question to ask right now?"

John Winchester glanced at Jody, and then over towards Doctor Nelson. "The other people in comas? Is there something connecting them?"

"Just some… fancies of a reporter," Doctor Nelson replied. "You know how it is. People die in this hospital – but there are those who see some big conspiracy theory. It's always very sad – but what are we supposed to do? I'm afraid that this reporter was trying to discredit the hospital, and she managed to persuade my niece to her point of view."

John frowned slightly as he turned his attention back to Jody, who wasn't saying anything. She had her head down, and was alternating between fidgeting with her hands and shuffling from one foot to the other. Apparently, she didn't know what to say to the doctor's words.

_I've no idea what's really going on here… I should try and talk to Jody alone to find out what she knows._

Doctor Nelson didn't look like he was about to leave the room, though – and John wouldn't expect him to. It was the doctor's job to take care of his patients, even more so when the patient was John's son.

"Why do you ask about memory loss?" John immediately drew Jody's attention. Before she could say anything, he continued, "Has something happened to his brother? I generally tend to find that it's the people who have been in the coma who suffer from the memory loss – not members of their family."

Doctor Nelson frowned as John spoke, and shot him a look as if to say not to encourage his niece. He didn't say anything, though, and walked over to check the IV sticking into Dean's arm and then the level of fluid entering his body.

Jody hesitated, glancing towards her uncle, and then back at John. "Um… Not really," she replied. "Sorry, I just noticed something strange about him… But I guess it must be something like stress." She attempted a smile, and then cast a glance at her uncle, biting her lip and narrowing her eyes slightly.

John immediately followed Jody's gaze, and frowned, noticing the pale skin, and the sheen of sweat on Doctor Nelson's face. As he reached for the clipboard by Dean's bed, his hands shook, and as he brought one up to wipe across his forehead, John couldn't help noticing that his eyes were unusually bright.

"Are you all right?" John asked, wondering if he was missing something. Jody wasn't saying anything, which suggested that either she didn't care about her uncle possibly being sick.

Or she already knew about it…

"Yes, I'm fine." Doctor Nelson smiled – although it was a poor attempt. "It's been quite a wearying time lately."

John nodded slowly, understanding that. His gaze turned once again to Dean's limp form as he wondered whether his oldest son could hear what they were saying or not. He had mixed feelings about that, mainly since he was going to have to leave before Dean woke up. And he refused to even _consider_ the possibility that his boy might not wake up. This was Dean. Nothing could happen to him.

_I don't want him to feel like his brother's abandoned him…_

The trouble was, as far as John was aware, it was possible that Sam _had_ abandoned Dean, in a way. Probably not deliberately – but it had been clear from the message left on John's cell phone that Sam blamed himself for what had happened to Dean. Sam tended to beat himself up about things that weren't entirely his fault.

_Dean wouldn't let him blame himself…_

"I'd like to look at some of the other cases of coma victims," John said out loud. "Just to see if there's anything that could be applied in this case." It could also serve the purpose of discovering how much danger Dean was in, if any, of course.

Doctor Nelson turned towards Jody. "Would you find the reports for Doctor Herring, please?" he requested. "I should talk to one of or two of the nurses who have been tending to Dean Winchester."

_Hot nurses?_ John wondered. _He'll be really annoyed when he wakes up if there are hot nurses looking after him and he hasn't seen them…!_ John looked towards Jody; sure that his face wasn't showing even a hint of what was going through his mind. "Yes, please do show me the reports," he requested. Although, if Sam was staying at Jody's apartment, John really felt that she should be making sure he was all right.

"All right," Jody replied as she turned to leave the room. Just before she walked out, though, she said, "I think I may need to go back home after that, though… I thought I was better from the bug that hit me this morning, but I'm actually beginning to feel much worse now."

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It wasn't until Dean got to the apartment that it occurred to him that he didn't actually have a key to get inside. When he'd asked Sam about getting to the library, it hadn't even crossed his mind that he'd need a key to the apartment.

_It's probably because I don't feel like I belong here…_

Well, unless Amber had suddenly decided that she absolutely _had_ to go out, she should be inside to let him into the apartment. But he was going to have to find the key this world's Dean had to have. It would be quite ridiculous if he had to rely on Sam or even Amber or Jessica to get inside the building.

Dean raised his hand, and pressed the doorbell harder than was really necessary. He heard the sound resonate inside, and grimaced slightly. The sound of a doorbell ringing could be quite annoying when trying to concentrate on something. But it was a great tool to annoy other people with.

After a moment, Dean heard the sound of someone opening the inner door. He could just about make out a certain hesitation in the movements, though – as if the person was nervous about who might be at the door.

Dean tapped his foot, and rested his arm on the wall as he waited for the front door to be opened. _Patience might be a virtue… But I have plenty of virtues – I don't need patience as well._

Finally, the door was opened by Amber. For a moment, she just stood there staring at Dean. Then, her shoulders slumped slightly, and she sighed. "Come in…" she mumbled, taking a step back from the doorway.

"Hey, you're the one who asked me to come by." Dean stepped through the doorway, and closed the door behind him. "So what happened? You weren't very clear on the phone."

Amber flushed, and looked down a moment. "I just freaked out at getting a prank call," she admitted. "Calling you was the first thing that occurred to me, and there likely wasn't any reason to do so. Sorry. Were you doing anything important?"

"Really just trying to find any information on parallel worlds," Dean answered. "Well, I'd been _about_ to do that – but you called before I could go into the library."

"Right…" Amber turned to walk through the hallway. "Are you hungry at all? I made some breakfast, but after the call, I sort of lost my appetite… I fed Brownie the bacon, but there are still some pancakes and eggs left."

Amber's voice sounded flat and emotionless, and Dean wondered if she was talking in an effort to avoid thinking. He hadn't eaten breakfast that long ago – but he _was_ hungry again. "Yeah, I'll finish it off," he said. "Where's your dog at the moment? He's not making a very good guard dog if he's left you alone and unprotected…" _I wonder, do you still feel safe around me?_

"He's asleep. Animals need sleep a lot. Sleep and food. I envy them, in a way. They don't have any cares in the world…"

Dean didn't know what to say to that. He had never been too good at comforting words. So he just stayed quiet as he followed Amber into the kitchen. The plate of food was on the side, and Dean immediately started picking at it, not caring that it wasn't exactly hot anymore. He had to keep his strength up, after all…

Amber opened the fridge, and took out a bottle of red wine. She found two glasses in the cupboard above the sink, and, after taking them down, poured the wine almost to the brim in each.

_Huh… Someone apparently needs alcohol to calm the nerves. I prefer beer, or whiskey, myself…_

"Here." Amber offered Dean one of the glasses, her fingers brushing lightly against his, and then leaned back against the counter with the other glass. She took small sips of the wine, her face pensive.

Dean lifted his glass silently to Amber. Then, he drank some, and couldn't help but be impressed. The cool liquid slipped down his throat, feeling like the smoothest velvet. For a moment, he closed his eyes, savouring the taste. _I must remember to get some of this wine when I return to my own world…_

Dean opened his eyes again to find Amber watching him. The wine seemed to have gone straight to his head. He felt almost… woozy. His first thought was to wonder if Amber had somehow drugged him – but he doubted that. Maybe he was just feeling a bit strange from everything that had been happening?

Amber set her glass down on the side, and approached Dean. She twined her arms together behind his neck, and leaned in to kiss him softly.

Dean was only caught off guard for a moment. Ignoring the gut feeling that was telling him this wasn't right, he brought his arms around Amber, and deepened the kiss, making it clear to her that _he_ was the one in control.

However, as Amber moved her hands to start trying to take off his leather jacket, Dean caught them in his, coming back to his senses. He pulled away from Amber, and pushed her, though gently, backwards.

"Dean?" Amber frowned.

"Hey, I'm all for making out," Dean replied, moving his arms back to his sides. "But I do _not_ agree with my partner thinking about someone else while this is happening – even if it's another version of me." Despite the strangeness of it, it was true that Dean felt _something_ connecting him to this woman. It was probably something to do with Other-Dean – but Dean objected to making out with a woman who already had feelings for someone else.

Amber opened her mouth, and then paused, glancing towards the kitchen door, as Dean heard the sound of glass smashing.


	11. Chapter 11

**Coma**

**Chapter Eleven**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Supernatural, unfortunately, and I'm not making any money from this fic. Any character you don't recognise from the show, I probably own. Oh, yeah, and I got the idea for the creature at the beginning from the _Banned and the Banished_ book series by James Clemens, so I don't own the idea for that, either

**Warning(s):** Some violence; swearing; spoilers; some horrible parts

**Author's Note:** Once again, thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed this fic so far. It really means a lot!

**Brief recap of previous chapter:** Sam was back in the strange dream-forest, where he made out a bit with the woman, before remembering that he'd lost something. When Dean appeared there, the spell was seemingly broken – but the image was a trick created by the woman to get Sam to lower his guard.  
In the hospital, Doctor Nelson mentioned to John about the previous coma victims, and Jody agreed to show John the reports of them.  
Meanwhile, Dean went back to the apartment, and he and Amber made out a bit, before they heard the sound of smashing glass.

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_Dean's form flickered and faded from view as the woman's form began rippling, as if water was moving under her skin. Her skin then began bubbling, as if the water had been heated to boiling point. Sam backed away as a huge, tentacled creature burst from the woman's body, and sent an octopus-like limb in his direction._

_Sam ducked, and the suckers just about missed him. The fog had completely dispersed from his mind – but that wasn't helpful right now._

"_Come here, Ssssamy," the creature hissed in a sibilant whisper. "Don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you… much." The thing that had once been a woman crawled forward, poison dripping from the side of its fanged mouth._

"_Yeah, right," Sammy muttered. He noticed that the creature didn't have any obvious eyes. _But if that's the case, then the other senses would have evolved to make up for that.

"_Where are you, little Ssssammy?" the creature crooned, its bulbous head sweeping from side to side. "Come on… I can give you all you want. There issss no need for you to wake up. Sssstay here, and nothing can hurt you anymore."_

_Sam looked around, making sure to stay right where he was – just in case the creature could hear him. Of course, there was always the possibility that the creature would be able to _scent_ him out. He just had to make sure to find some kind of weapon and get to it before that happened. Of course, it would be helpful if he could remember any more information other than the mere basics about the demon._

I guess she's thought of everything… There's no sign of anything I could possibly use against her.

_A low growl escaped the creature's throat as two of its tentacles pulled its huge body across the grass. Its head continued to move around, seeking for any sign of Sam's presence. "You can't hide forever… There'ssss no esssscape, no way for you to wake up and be free of me. I've made ssssure you'll be here long enough for me to track you down."_

Damn!_ Sam thought, trying to work out just how to get out of this. And what about his brother? He really hoped that nothing had happened to Dean – but there was no way of knowing for sure. How was he supposed to wake up? How was he supposed to fight this demon, when he couldn't remember most of what he had learned about its species?_

_A third tentacle reached out, the suckers brushing almost lovingly across the grass. Sam flinched as the limb approached him. Those suckers looked to be about as big as his fist, and he imagined they were pretty powerful as well. He could imagine them being able to suck the skin off him, which was _not_ a pretty image._

"There_ you are, little one…" The tentacle whipped through the air and wrapped around Sam's neck._

_Instantly, he raised his hands to try and pry the tentacle from around his throat. His eyes bulged, and his throat felt like it was constricting. As the tentacle began to tighten, red spots began dancing in front of his eyes._

_Abruptly, the tentacle released him, and Sam collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath. Gingerly, he touched his throat, relieved when he didn't feel anything damp that could have been blood._

_The creature laughed, which somehow sounded wrong coming from it. "No… I won't kill you yet. I sssstill don't have all I need, and I don't want you to die before I'm ready." The creature's mouth twisted into what could have been a smirk. "Now… Why don't we talk a bit more about Jessssica?"_

_Sam flinched as the image of Jessica bleeding and on fire came into his mind. As if the demon's words conjured her spirit up, Sam watched helplessly as her eyes opened and looked accusingly into his._

Why, Sam?

"_No…" Sam whispered, his tone almost pleading. "Please stop."_

_The demon laughed. "Why sssshould I sssstop, Ssssammy? We're jusssst getting sssstarted here. I wonder… What elsssse issss there to sssshow you?"_

_Sam closed his eyes for a moment, already feeling drained. Did the demon intend to use every weakness against him? He wouldn't be able to stand it, and not just because of the draining effect._

"_Amazing…" the demon mused. "It'ssss sssso eassssy to drive even the sssstrongesssst persssson to desssspair. You will fall againsssst me eventually. Although, I would have preferred to be able to work on your brother. Sssstill, never mind. You're almosssst assss good."_

_At the mention of his brother, Sam's head jerked up. _So… she isn't the reason for Dean being in a coma._ And yet… From her words, it was clear that the demon was after his brother as well._

I can't let that happen!

_Gritting his teeth, Sam pushed himself up off the ground, and, with some effort, was able to get to his feet. He didn't know how the demon had fed off him – but he was certainly feeling drained and weak. Despite that, though, he was determined. "You're going to stay the _hell_ away from my brother!"_

"_You are in no possssition to make demandssss." The tentacles waved wildly from side to side, and one whipped towards Sam again._

_This time, Sam was ready for it. As the tentacle swept towards him, he ducked, and just felt it brush over the top of his head. As the demon started to pull its tentacle back, Sam used his reflexes – honed from years of hunting – and grabbed the tentacle as hard as he could in both hands._

_The demon let out an unearthly scream, and its other tentacles thrashed wildly about. Sam had to let go of the tentacle if he didn't want to get knocked off his feet, but he felt hot liquid drip onto his face as the tentacle was pulled away. He could taste a small amount of iron on his lips._

At least I remembered one thing… The tentacles are really sensitive.

_Of course, now the demon was really mad. It screamed again, causing Sam to wince and clap both hands over his ears. All the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck rose. The sound pierced through his ears, and Sam felt something trickle out of his nose to join the demon's blood._

_As the tentacles whipped towards him again, Sam fell to his knees, suddenly severely weakened. He was dimly aware of a strange mist obscuring his vision, and the sound of the demon screaming in rage, before the forest just seemed to melt away._

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Sam opened his eyes to find that his shoulders were being shaken, and that someone was calling his name with obvious panic in their voice.

"Sam? Sam! Wake up!"

"I'm awake," Sam mumbled, lifting his hands to push the person away. Blurred features swam into view to reveal Jody. She was staring at Sam, her eyes wide. He struggled up into a sitting position, and closed his eyes a moment. "What are you doing back here?" His head felt musty, and he could feel something a little damp below his nose.

"I thought that maybe I should come back," Jody replied, sitting up and chewing on her lower lip. "Are you all right? You're… bleeding." She made a vague motion around her nose and mouth.

Sam raised a hand, and wiped at the skin just below his nose. He looked at his fingers, and wasn't too surprised to see blood there. Looking up at Jody again, he gave a frown. "You left after I warned you not to." He was feeling incredibly weak, and almost like he was about to be sick.

Jody shrugged, glancing away a moment. "I couldn't just stay here and do nothing. Melissa already died because of this. I don't want anyone else to. That includes your brother… Dean," she corrected herself.

"Dean…" Sam repeated, feeling a little drained. _What happened? I still remember him. Does that mean the demon's beaten, at least for now?_ "Is he all right?" Sam demanded. "I take it he hasn't woken up yet?" Sam attempted to push himself up, but frowned as he found that his legs wouldn't support him. "Damn…" _I want to get to the hospital to see him before I go to pick up Missouri from the airport, but I don't think I have the strength to move right now._

"No, he hasn't woken up yet…" Jody's voice trailed off, and she stared at Sam a moment. "Wait… You didn't actually argue with me calling him your brother."

"That would be because I remember him," Sam answered. "Now, at least…" He paused a moment, then asked, "Do you know of anyone who's mentioned seeing a tentacled creature in their dreams?" He didn't really want to get into what the Vereor demon had said to him, but it was important he find out if there might be a connection between it and the coma victims.

"A tentacled creature?" Jody seemed to think about it for a moment, but then she shook her head. "I don't think so… What is it?"

"A Vereor demon… A fear demon," Sam explained, seeing the look of confusion on Jody's face. "It feeds off a person's fear, despair, anger – all the negative emotions someone feels. To begin with, they adopt a form that's generally pleasing to the eye, and unthreatening." Free of the demon's dream forest, Sam found the information about the Vereor flooding back into his mind.

Jody frowned. "What are you saying? That this… _demon_ went after you? But… you forgot about your brother."

"I still felt like I was missing a part of myself." Sam sat up, and put his head in his hands a moment. "I believe that it was attempting to drain all the hope out of me; make me feel that I wasn't going to escape." Sam wasn't sure he was explaining it too well – it would be much easier if Dean was around. He and Sam had been hunting all their lives. As far as Sam was aware, Jody hadn't done any hunting at all. "What about my brother? Has anything changed? Are they any closer to finding out what's caused the coma?"

Jody stood up, biting at her lip again and fidgeting with her hands. "Well… um…"

"What is it?" Sam narrowed his eyes, his eyebrows drawing together. "Did the doctors find something?"

"You, er, could say that." Jody hesitated a moment. "My uncle said that he ran some more tests on your brother. Sam, he… your brother… Dean, he… They found traces of alcohol and sleeping pills in his system… a really high dosage."

For a moment, Sam could do nothing but stare at Jody. It took a little while for her words to even register on his mind. When they did, he quickly shook his head. "No. I don't care what you're thinking; I don't care what the doctors found. My brother would _never_ have tried to kill himself."

"Are you sure?" Jody asked, sounding a little hesitant. "I mean… The substances were found in his system. The tests wouldn't have lied, right?"

Sam shook his head. _What's going on? Are all of these things connected?_ "Do you know if this has happened to anyone else? If any of the other victims have had strange substances show up in their bodies?"

Jody shook her head. "I glanced at a couple of the reports before I handed them over to Doctor Herring. They didn't _seem_ to mention anything out of the ordinary – well, apart from the whole dying-after-waking up from comas thing, of course. And I did ask my uncle about whether any members from the previous victims' families had suffered from memory loss," she continued. "He denied it… in a round-about kind of way."

"Doctor Herring?" Sam frowned. "He works in the hospital?"

"No… He's a specialist; he was asked to come take a look at your brother. I'm pretty sure that he's sincere…"

"Oh." Sam realised that his strength was gradually returning. He hung onto the side of the desk, and pushed himself up. He wobbled a little on his feet, but was able to stay standing without support.

"Are you all right?" Jody started to reach out, as if to help him, but then stopped.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What time is it?" Sam suddenly remembered that he was supposed to be picking Missouri up at 3.30. Just how much time had he spent in the Vereor demon's dream forest?

Jody looked at her watch. "Almost 2. Why?"

"Didn't your uncle mention the friend I have to pick up? She's flying in today – somehow, she managed to book a flight almost immediately." Sam debated a moment over whether or not to mention to Jody about Missouri's powers, but he decided against it. Jody could find out for herself. Besides, it was possible that Jody wouldn't believe him. Not to mention the fact that it wasn't up to him to talk about Missouri's 'abilities'.

"Oh, yeah… Do you want me to come with you? Just in case you can't find the airport or something."

"Nah, I can find the airport," Sam said. "What I want you to do is stay right here and not let _anyone_ in, no matter what. Are we clear on this?"

"Huh?" Jody frowned. "What do you mean? Why shouldn't I let anyone in? What about answering the phone?"

Sam held up a hand, attempting to try and stop the flow of questions. "I'm not totally sure. However, I think that whatever's causing these coma victims to die – it's either taken on the guise of someone in the hospital, or someone in the hospital is working with it. There would be no other way for this thing to know when the victims wake up otherwise, and it doesn't seem to be just random."

Jody shook her head. "But I _know_ most of the people in the hospital," she protested. "I wouldn't think that _any_ of them would do something like that."

"Ever seen any detective shows, crime shows? It's always the person you least suspect." Sam hesitated a moment, and then sighed. "Look… I don't know what's responsible for this, but some supernatural entities will make… bargains with a person they want help from. They will usually offer a person something, be it power, immortality, fame…"

"Oh…" Jody looked confused, but she was also pale and shaking a little. "So… What do I do? Don't you want me to try and find out more information?"

"Do you have a cell phone?" When Jody nodded, Sam continued, "I want you to use that – and your computer – to try and find out anything more on the coma victims. For instance, see which doctors were working on them; what they found out. Also, if you can get hold of anyone who worked on the cases – find out about any similarities with Dean's case. Namely, the appearance of strange substances – and memory loss, weakening, and so on, from relatives."

"You think it's connected to that… Vereor demon in some way? No, of course you do." Jody sighed. "All right." Then, she gave a confused frown. "Wait… Why do I need to use my cell phone? I have a perfectly good phone right here." She pointed to it on the desk – as if Sam couldn't see it for himself.

"It's possible your phone might be tapped." Sam sighed, and ran his hands through his hair. "Listen, I'll give you a call when I'm on my way back, and that way, you can work out pretty much when I'll be back. Other than that – _don't_ open the door to anyone," he reiterated.

Jody sighed. "Ok – I guess," she muttered. "You'd better get back soon, though – I'll be climbing the walls if there isn't a whole lot to do."

"Yeah, sure." Sam headed towards the door, still feeling a little dizzy – but he was sure the feeling would pass eventually.

"Sam?"

Sam paused, and turned round to face Jody again. "Yeah?"

Jody hesitated. "Well… you'll need to… prepare yourself – I guess – for the possibility that the appearance of the alcohol and sleeping pills in your brother's body might not be caused by all of this…" She bit her lip slightly. "I'm sorry – I'm not explaining this too well."

"No, you're explaining it perfectly," Sam replied. "But trust me – Dean would never have done something like that. Drink, yes. Take an overdose? No way." Without waiting for a response, he simply walked out of the study and made his way downstairs.

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Dean glanced towards the kitchen door, and then at Amber again. "I'm gonna check it out. You stay here."

Amber frowned. "Yeah right I will. I'm coming with you."

"The hell you are." Dean walked towards the door. "It could be dangerous, and hey, guess what? I don't put people in danger." Well, he didn't if he could help it. It partly went back to the whole not-telling-anyone-what-he-did thing, but mainly to do with not putting people who were basically 'civilians' at risk.

"Nothing short of locking me up is going to make me stay here."

"Now there's an idea." Dean glanced at the kitchen door as he passed it, and frowned. _There's no lock… Maybe I could drag her to the toilet?_ Of course, that would mean actually knowing where the toilet downstairs actually was. And it was possible that taking her there would mean walking straight into danger. "All right," he muttered. "But you'd _better_ stay safely behind me. I mean it. You won't like what happens if you don't."

Amber didn't make a reply, but Dean could hear her footsteps quietly following him. He took her silence to mean that she was conceding to what he said – no matter how much she may not like it.

The whole apartment was quiet at that moment, and Dean couldn't help feeling a tiny sliver of worry. He _did_ wonder if he might have finally cracked under the strain of hunting supernatural entities – but Amber had clearly heard the sound as well, so they couldn't _both_ have gone mad. And did a mad person even know that they were mad?

_Of course, there's always the possibility that I really have gone mad and am not in a parallel world at all, but locked up somewhere in a nice padded room._

The sound seemed to have come from the living room. Well, Dean didn't know that for sure – but that was where he was headed. It seemed like as good a place as any to try.

Dean suddenly came to a stop, and then turned round to look at Amber. "Get me some salt from the kitchen."

"Huh? Salt?" Amber looked at him like she thought he was crazy. "Why do you need it _now_? Surely not to put on fish and chips like you claimed before…"

"Here's a suggestion. Why don't you not argue, and just do as I've asked?" _Is it really my fate to be stuck with people who continually argue over most of the things I tell them?_ He was really beginning to get tired of this.

"Fine," Amber muttered. She turned and headed back into the kitchen. A few moments later, she came out with a salt shaker, which she handed to Dean. "Here. I don't know what you're planning to use it for – though I'm pretty sure that throwing it someone's eyes won't do much to incapacitate them."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Dean started walking again, resisting the urge to look continually over his shoulder just to make sure that Amber was staying close. There wasn't a whole lot he could do to force her to stay right behind him – and the sound might not have been a cause for alarm.

_Yeah, right, because breaking glass in a room you _know_ hasn't got anyone in is so commonplace._

Dean moved carefully into the living room, making sure to keep a firm hold on the salt. It was currently his only weapon against the supernatural. _Note to self – get a gun as soon as possible._

There was a tall, black-haired man standing in front of the far window – which was broken – his back to Dean and Amber. Usually, Dean would have attacked straight up with something that he was pretty certain was harmful. However, not only was he unarmed – apart from the salt – and protecting someone, he was also pretty certain that the man knew they were there – and attacking him would serve no purpose right away.

"Stay close to me," Dean hissed to Amber. Not sparing a glance behind him to check that she was obeying, he proceeded to scatter the salt in front of them, creating a line of protection.

"What are you _doing_?" Amber whispered. At least she had enough sense to keep her voice quiet.

"Trust me," Dean replied, not taking his eyes off the man.

At the sound of their whispered exchange, the man turned round. His eyes gleamed with a feral light, and his lips drew back to reveal teeth elongated into sharp fangs.

Dean started, and then began pushing Amber back with his free arm, trying to herd her out of the living room. _This can't be real!_ But it clearly was. He had thought that vampires only existed in legend. But maybe that was simply the case in _his_ world? Behind him, Amber had gone quiet – probably shocked into silence.

_Can't blame her. Hell, I'm the experienced hunter, and _I_ can barely believe it._

"Vampire." Dean stared at the creature, wishing even more that he had some kind of weapon. He was pretty sure that salt wasn't going to work on it.

Suddenly, faster than the eye could see, the vampire lunged. The salt didn't seem to bother it at all as it hit Dean hard in the side of the head, sending him flying into the wall.

Dean blinked a few times, trying to clear his mind. His head had smacked violently into the wall, but he paid little attention to the pain. As he struggled to his feet, he saw the vampire wrap its arms around Amber – as if in a lover's embrace – and lower its fanged mouth to her throat.


	12. Chapter 12

**Coma**

**Chapter Twelve**

**Disclaimer:** This is getting old. -Sigh-. Right… I don't own anything from Supernatural, and I'm not making any money from this fic. I also own nothing of any real value, so please don't sue! Any character you don't recognise from the show, I probably own. Anything you recognise from a different fandom, I definitely _don't_ own

**Warning(s):** Some violence (as if you couldn't guess); some swearing; lots of blood and possibly some 'icky' bits (don't say I haven't warned you!)

Once again, thank you to everyone who's reviewed this fic so far. Thanks also to those who have this story on Story Alerts or their Favourites list. And, too, thanks to anyone who has read but hasn't actually reviewed or anything. –Sends hugs to all of you.– Oh, yes, and about the suggestion of Sam being in the parallel world as well – it is a good one (I thought about it as well). However, I don't think it would work. Sorry. Please be patient, and you'll get brotherly moments eventually

**Author's Note:** This chapter is going to be in a slightly different way to the previous chapters. I hope that this won't be too difficult for people – but I think that it would work better this way, considering what's happening here

**Brief recap of previous chapter:** Sam fought the tentacled demon in its dream forest, and seemed to have won a minor victory, even though he hasn't been able to do any serious harm to it. Sam was woken up by Jody, who quickly realised that Sam had regained her memories. Sam told her to stay in the apartment and see what she could find out while he went to the airport to pick up Missouri.  
Meanwhile, in the parallel world, Dean went to investigate the sound he and Amber had heard, with Amber tagging along. It seemed to be a vampire, and although Dean attempted to protect himself and Amber with a line of salt, the vampire batted him away as if he were merely a fly and went after Amber…

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Before Amber could react, could even make any kind of sound, she found herself held in an iron-like grip. She struggled, but it was ineffective. She couldn't see what had happened to Dean – the vampire's body blocked him from view.

_Vampire… Not man._

The vampire started snuffling around Amber's face – specifically, her lower cheeks and neck. His actions were similar to those of a cat's, but there was nothing cute or remotely harmless about this vile creature.

A soft mewl escaped the vampire's lips, and Amber tensed. She felt the monster's lips on her neck – as if in a kiss – but knew instinctively that it was something much darker. The woman struggled, but the vampire's hold on her remained strong. He licked the soft skin of her throat, and Amber braced herself, waiting for the pain.

Something sharp punctured her throat, and a wave of dizziness spread through her body as she felt her lifeblood drawn out through the wound.

But something else was being pulled out as well…

Amber jerked, and then immediately began struggling in the vampire's arms. She didn't know what was going on, but she was aware that something vitally important was being drawn out of her. There was no way that she could tell what it was – but she couldn't lose it. She was trying to tear herself free of the vampire, unheeding that tearing her throat away would probably open up a major vein or artery. _Death would be preferable…_

Something sharp pierced the back of her neck through her hair, and Amber _screamed_. She was losing the fight. Her knees began to buckle as her ears rang with the screams of the despaired and tortured.

**FLASH. **_Finding out that her sister had been killed in a car accident._

**FLASH.**_ Sharp pain piercing through her shoulder._

**FLASH.**_ Standing by, helpless to do anything but watch, as a group of older boys bullied her friend._

**FLASH.**_ Arguing – with her sister, with her boyfriend, with her friends._

**FLASH.** _The last conversation she ever had with her sister – more of an argument – despair as she realised that Melissa had gone to her grave thinking her sister was made at her._

**FLASH.** _Rejection…_

**FLASH.** _Pale eyes watching out of a white face; arms outstretched imploringly._

Abruptly, the myriad of images slowed and stopped as Amber felt herself torn from the vampire's arms. Her vision almost went black as vicious pain lanced through her neck – but that was nothing compared to the pain caused by the images that had flashed through her mind. All of the bad memories she had experienced rolled into one terrifying mixture…

The next thing Amber knew, she was being shaken, and a voice was calling her name demandingly: "Amber? Amber!"

Amber opened her mouth to reply, but a wave of nausea rocked her body, and she retched violently over the floor.

Even that couldn't get rid of the stench of corruption, though…

For a moment, Amber heard footsteps moving away from her, and she almost cried. She felt so lost, and there was still the feeling of having lost something vital.

A few moments later, though, Amber felt something cool pressed to her lips. It was tipped slightly, and Amber felt something cold and wet drip into her parched mouth. For a moment, she just enjoyed the taste – then, finally, she forced her eyes open.

Dean was crouched in front of her, holding the glass that was against Amber's mouth. He was watching her closely, his eyes narrowed. His face was set in the familiar emotionless mask, but something akin to concern glinted in his eyes for just a moment. The vampire was nowhere to be seen.

Amber closed her eyes again for a moment. "I really hope you're watching where you put yourself…" she whispered, her voice slightly muffled because of the glass.

Instead of answering, Dean tipped the glass again, and Amber parted her lips slightly to allow the water to enter her mouth.

Once the contents of the glass were drained, Dean set it to one side. Then, moving gently, he took Amber's chin, and turned it slightly to one side, before probing at the wound on her neck. Even though he was trying to be gentle, Amber couldn't help wincing, and attempted to pull away.

"Don't… I need to see how it is."

"It hurts." Amber did her best to stay still, though. There was an acrid taste in her mouth from where she'd thrown up, and she felt dizzy and light-headed. _How much blood have I lost?_

"I know. But I need to do this." Dean probed at the wound a moment longer, and then stood up, shaking his head slightly. "We need to get that cleaned and bandaged. You need to rest as well."

"What about the vampire?" Amber asked fuzzily.

"It's gone." Dean offered a hand to Amber.

Amber took Dean's hand, a little hesitantly, and slowly stood up. She put her other hand up to the back of her neck, and found that there was nothing damp there. No soreness. _That doesn't make sense… I definitely felt something pierce the back of my neck._ As Dean began steering her towards the door of the room, Amber paused. "Wait."

"What is it?" Dean eyed her a moment.

Amber pulled her hand free of Dean's, and stumbled over to the glass lying on the floor. She found herself falling to her knees, and with a little effort, managed to avoid falling on the shards. She reached to take one of the larger pieces, and used her other hand to smear some of the blood from her wound onto the glass, being as careful with the sharp edges as possible with her hands shaking.

"What are you doing?"

Amber didn't need to look up to know that Dean was standing over her. She let the glass drop as if in slow motion from her nerveless fingers. "Do you want to have to tell people that I got my neck bitten?" She held a hand up to her neck to cover the wound – but, truth to tell, it wasn't just the blood loss that was bothering her. It was the loss of something else that seemed to be much more important.

"Yeah, I'm sure they'd believe that your neck got slashed by some flying glass," Dean muttered. He then gave a sigh, and reached to help Amber up again. "Maybe I should take you to the hospital."

"I'm _fine_." Amber kept her hand pressed against her neck, and was pretty certain the bleeding was slowing down. Or maybe it was simply wishful thinking. "Besides… Surely you know _some_ first aid?"

Dean didn't look so convinced. However, he started leading Amber to the door again. He held an arm around her shoulders, supporting the woman as they headed out of the room and up the stairs. "How are you feeling?" he asked, even as he glanced around as though looking for something.

"Weak, dizzy… You know, par for the course with blood loss." Amber didn't exactly mean to sound that sarcastic – but something was wrong with her. As well as that, this Dean was a completely different person to her boyfriend. _He looks like he's suspicious of everything… Almost a caged animal._

"So… Not only are ghosts real, vampires are as well? Great. Just great."

Dean turned his head to look at her. "What did you just say?"

"That vampires are real as well as ghosts." Amber shook her head slightly. "Boy… My life is really getting fucked-up."

"Yeah… I know the feeling." Dean helped Amber into the bathroom, and pushed her carefully down onto the toilet seat before he started rifling through the medicine cabinet. "What makes you think ghosts are real?"

"My sister…" Amber closed her eyes for a moment, feeling drained. She was beginning to get a headache. "After Melissa died, her spirit – ghost, whatever – came to me. I guess I went a little… crazy after what happened. I held onto her in a way; wouldn't let her move on." She sighed a little. "I never told anyone about this before… Not even my boyfriend." She kept her fingers pressed to the wound on her neck, although she was pretty certain it was closing over.

Dean turned round from the cabinet, holding a cotton pad, tape, and a packet of antiseptic wipes. "So… you believe that I'm from a different world?" He crouched down in front of Amber, and carefully removed her hand from her neck. "Sorry… This is going to sting a bit." He took out one of the antiseptic wipes, and carefully started wiping at the bite wound, resting his other hand on the sink in order to keep his balance.

Amber winced, trying to shrink back a little. "Oww…" She gritted her teeth a moment, and then spoke, trying to take her mind off the pain. "You _look_ like him, and you even act a bit like him. But… you're different. These sorts of things – that vampire – you accepted it as commonplace." She hesitated a moment, then, "I guess I'm not going to see him again."

"I'm sure you will." Dean dropped the wipe into the bin, and then pressed the cotton pad over Amber's wound. With his other hand, he reached for Amber's, and put her hand against the pad. "Hold this here." When Amber was doing so, he tore off a few pieces of tape, and used them to stick the pad down. "There you go." He straightened up again.

"Thanks." Amber slowly stood up, hanging onto the sink for support. "So… When are you going back to your own world?" She wasn't trying to sound harsh – she simply wanted her boyfriend back, and for things to go back to normal.

"That's what I'm trying to work out."

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_The vampire crouched down before its mistress, mewling pathetically, looking up at her, silently begging for its life._

_Meg crossed her arms over her chest, and stared down at the creature, tapping her foot against the stone floor and frowning. "You failed me." Of course, by failing her, the creature had also failed her master – and no being in their right mind would want to do that. "I told you to make sure and get them _alone_."_

_The vampire trembled. Weeks of torture and black magic had twisted its mind, causing it to become little more than a mindless animal._

I hate using creatures like this… But I suppose they have their uses.

"_Go." Meg waved a hand dismissively. "I'll let you live… _this_ time. The next time you fail me, I won't be so lenient."_

_The vampire scrambled to its feet and darted off before Meg changed her mind. The demon stared after the creature for a moment, and then turned her attention to the window, fingering the vial of black elixir that hung around her neck._

_Meg wasn't _too_ unhappy with the way things had turned out, though. There had been two people who Meg had sent the vampire after with the elixir mixed into its saliva. In one of them, the corruption had only worked halfway. Meg would have to wait for a while to see if the elixir worked._

_However… The elixir _had_ worked on the other person._

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Sam could barely keep his eyes open as he drove along the motorway. He had got a cup of coffee from one of the fast food places, but the caffeine wasn't helping too much. Sam's body apparently didn't think it had got enough sleep, and if he wasn't careful, he would end up falling asleep while driving.

_I'd pull over and have a nap… But I promised Missouri that I'd pick her up. Besides, the demon's likely not defeated. If I fall asleep, I could easily fall under its spell again._

It wasn't _too_ far to the airport now. Sam made serious effort to keep his eyes open and on the road. He didn't want to crash – especially not in a situation like this one, where his brother was in a coma. _And what if I slipped into a coma as well? That wouldn't help things at all._

But Sam was aware of the fact that he wouldn't be able to go without sleep for long. His best bet would be to prepare for it, and make sure he was as well-defended as he _could_ be, which meant doing as much research as possible. _I need to look into possible other cases with this demon._

While keeping one hand on the steering wheel, Sam drank some more coffee. He almost missed the turning for the airport, but looked up in time, and quickly wrenched the car to the side. His manoeuvre earned him honks from several horns, but Sam ignored them all as he continued down the road and eventually pulled into the parking lot of the airport. He got out of the Impala, with his cup of coffee, and slammed the door shut behind him before locking the car.

Sam strode purposefully through the double doors into the main building. Well, as purposefully as he _could_ while feeling like he was about to fall asleep on his feet.

He drained the rest of his coffee, and then tossed the polystyrene cup into the nearest rubbish bin before making his way to the arrival gates. As he passed the waiting area, though, he paused, and turned to a young, red-haired woman who was sitting on one of the chairs.

The photo of Melissa Williams that had been online – along with the article detailing her death – had been in black and white. But the likeness to the young woman sitting nervously on the edge of a chair was unmistakeable. _Missouri told me that, if I was going to contact her at all, it had to be sooner._ Sam took a deep breath, and then walked over to the woman until he stood directly in front of her. "Amber Williams?"

The woman lifted her head and looked up at Sam out of eyes that could have been blue or green. "Um…" she said, a little hesitantly. There were dark circles under her eyes, and there was an almost wild look to her. There was a holdall on the floor in front of her.

"I'm Sam Winchester. We talked on the phone." _What's she doing here?_ he wondered. _She shouldn't even _be_ here. There was no way she could have known I was planning to come up here._

"Yeah, I know…" Amber nodded. She glanced upwards, almost as if looking up at another person – but there was nobody there. "I just… thought I should come here. I was gonna give you a call."

"Um, right…"

"Aren't you going to help the girl with her bag, Sam?" a familiar voice spoke up from behind him.

Sam turned round, and, unable to help himself, smiled in absolute relief to see the psychic there. "Missouri… I'm so glad to see you." He started to introduce Amber, but then remembered that Missouri would already know who she was. _She probably guessed that Amber would come here…_ He was definitely going through a lot right now. Not only that, but Sam really needed to rest.

"Sweetie, it's going to be all right." Missouri patted Sam gently on the arm, and then held out her suitcase. "Here. Big strong man like you – I'm sure you won't have any difficulty carrying this and the other bag."

"Sure." Sam heaved a sigh, and reached to take the suitcase. He turned back round to face Amber, and paused, as he thought he glimpsed someone standing behind her. He blinked, and it was gone – but he couldn't say that he hadn't seen anything. Sam didn't mention it, though, and bent to pick up the holdall as well. "Are you coming?"

Amber put her head on one side, as though she was listening to something, and then nodded and stood up. "Yeah… That information you asked for? It's in there." She nodded vaguely towards the holdall.

"All right." Sam started walking with the bags, heading towards the doors of the airport. He heard Missouri and Amber following him, and couldn't help wondering.

_Have I done the right thing here, getting Amber to come to the place where her sister died?_

Well, there wasn't much else Sam could do right now. He'd just have to find out what he could, and hope for the best.

_At least Missouri's here… I'll have to ask her if she knows any way of helping me out with the Vereor demon._

Sam didn't see Missouri draw closer to Amber, and neither did he hear the soft words the psychic whispered to the other woman.

"You're going to have to let her go at some point."


	13. Chapter 13

**Coma**

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Supernatural, and I'm not making any money from this fic. Any character you don't recognise from the show, I probably own. Anything you recognise from another fandom, I don't own.

**Warning(s):** Violence; some swearing; some rather 'dark' moments.

Once again, thank you to everyone who's reviewed this fic – and also to everyone who's read it, even if they haven't reviewed. (When I realised I had over 10,000 hits, I just sat there in complete amazement…)

**Brief recap of previous chapter:** Amber got bitten by the vampire, and something seemed to get ripped out of her. After the vampire fled, it went back to Meg, who had a vial of black elixir with her.  
Meanwhile, Sam went to the airport to pick up Missouri, and also found Amber Williams (the one from the real world) there.

* * *

Sam unlocked the Chevy Impala and opened the boot. Then, he picked up the suitcase again and put it in. This was quickly followed by the holdall. _I wonder what sort of things there are in here…_

"You can get in," Sam said to the women, even as he tried to work out just what he was going to do with both Missouri and Amber. Jody had seemed happy enough to have Missouri staying at her apartment. However, she probably wouldn't want another person staying there – even if that someone _was_ the sister of her dead friend.

Missouri got in the passenger side, and Amber automatically sat in the backseat. For a moment, Sam looked through the selection of cassette tapes. But there weren't any that he really liked the look of – besides; he didn't feel like having any music on.

Missouri put a hand comfortingly on Sam's shoulder. "Your brother will be fine, I'm sure," she attempted to reassure him. "Dean's spirit is strong."

Sam said nothing, merely nodded, and put the car into gear. He glanced briefly back over his shoulder, and then started backing out of the space. _I know that Missouri's trying to make me feel better, and I'm grateful – but it's not exactly working. I feel terrible…_ And, of course, as well as feeling guilty, Sam felt so tired…

"Are you sure it's a good idea for you to be driving like this?" Missouri asked, breaking into Sam's thoughts. "I'm sure we won't mind if you want to pull over and get some sleep. Right, honey?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder at Amber.

Amber shrugged slightly, and turned her head slightly to stare out of the window, fidgeting with her hands a little.

"I have a slight problem with sleeping at the moment…" Sam admitted. He then allowed his mind to focus on images of the Vereor demon and of the dream forest. He knew that Missouri would be able to pick up on what he was thinking. _Besides… I don't know how much Amber might know about her sister's work. It's probable that she doesn't know anything about demons or other supernatural things._

Missouri immediately gave a concerned frown. "So _that's_ why you've been so confused. But why would the demon have done _that_?"

"Aren't you a psychic?" Sam asked.

"I told you before. I can't pick facts out of the air. I can only see what goes through your mind."

_Why is Missouri talking so freely around Amber?_ Sam wondered. _I guess that she knows something about the woman – but still, it's rather strange._ He glanced briefly over his shoulder at Amber as he pulled out onto the motorway. The woman was staring out of the window, but Sam had the feeling that she wasn't focused on the scenery. She looked almost like she was listening to something – or someone.

"Don't worry," Missouri said to Sam. "She isn't paying attention to our conversation right now."

"What's _with_ her?" Sam turned his attention back to the road, giving a slight frown. Something about Amber struck him as kind of… off.

Missouri shrugged. "Grief is what's with her. It's causing her to do something that really isn't good for her."

_Talk in riddles really isn't helpful,_ Sam thought. But it probably wasn't any of his business anyway. Besides, he had more important things to worry about. "If you can't pick facts out of the air, then how did you know about Dean?" He had been wondering about that on and off – and now, he had the chance to ask.

"Sometimes, something will be revealed to me," Missouri explained. "It's not something that I can choose when it happens – or even how the information comes to me."

"Right…" To be honest, though, Sam didn't really understand what Missouri was talking about. _Maybe it works differently for different people…_ So far, Sam had just been having dreams – well, there was the whole ghost business. But most people would be able to see one of those if they opened their eyes. _I suppose the fact that I got possessed by Doctor Ellicott counts for something as well…_

Of course, thinking about the doctor also caused Sam to think about what he'd _done_ while possessed by the spirit. His brother was in a coma – and it was all because Sam hadn't been able to resist the possession.

_Feeling guilty about it isn't going to serve any purpose, though. Not until Dean wakes up…_ But that seemed to be less and less likely.

They all stayed quiet as Sam continued to drive along the motorway. He was feeling just so tired. Surely it couldn't hurt to close his eyes just for one moment? It felt like something was calling him – coaxing him into sleep.

Sam clenched his hands on the steering wheel. _I_ need_ to remember what I found out about the Vereor demon. Its tentacles being extremely sensitive isn't exactly helpful… And I should probably work on trying to get Dean better before I sort out what's going on with me._

"You won't be of much help to your brother if you're incapacitated."

_Huh?_ Sam glanced at Missouri, but the psychic was looking out of the window, and showing no sign that she'd said anything at all. _But Missouri's the only one I know with psychic ability…_

_What about spirits, though?_

Sam raised his eyes to look in the mirror so that he could see the backseat. Amber was sitting next to the window, still staring out at the scenery.

But, just for a moment, Sam caught a glimpse of someone sitting close next to her…

* * *

The ringing of the phone startled Jody from her work, and she just sat up for a moment, her heart pounding. It took her a few moments to realise what the sound was, and she quickly grabbed the handset and put it to her ear. "Hello!"

"Hey, you sound jumpy," Sam said on the other end of the phone. "Am I interrupting anything?"

Jody sighed, feeling a little relieved. "I just wasn't expecting you to call this quickly," she answered, then found her attention drawn to the clock on the wall. "Eh… It's later than I thought. Where are you?"

"Stopped off to pick up some pizza. Hey, listen. I picked up my friend all right – but there was someone else at the airport as well. Amber Williams. Do you know of any good motels near you that I could drop her off at?"

"Um…" Jody fell silent a moment, biting her lip slightly, considering it. Finally, she answered, "Well… You can bring her here, if you want. There's probably just about enough room – but it'll be a really tight squeeze." As she talked, Jody's eyes moved to the article she had up on her computer screen.

"Hm… Well, if you're sure. I don't want to put you out or anything."

"It's no problem. I have a spare room, and I don't mind sleeping on the floor. Besides, I could use the company…" Jody's voice trailed off, as she refused to admit – out loud, at least – just how frightened she was. Even then, it was difficult to keep the slight tremor out of her voice.

Sam was silent for a moment, then, "Well… I'll be back soon. Did you manage to find out anything?"

"Not much…" Jody kept her gaze on the computer screen, though. "I think you're right – I really shouldn't have gone into the hospital today. It felt really weird…"

"Mind telling my brother that?" Someone spoke in the background, and then Sam said, "I've got to go now. The pizzas are ready. Like I said – I'll be back soon. Make sure you don't open the door to anyone else."

"I won't. Bye." Jody disconnected the call, and then bit her lower lip, fidgeting slightly with her hands.

Making her decision, Jody closed down the article… and then deleted the file. For a moment, she just sat there staring at the screen – then, she picked up her mug of coffee, and took a few sips.

_I should really have an early night… Or at least an afternoon nap. I'm so tired…_ Caffeine had been her friend ever since she and Melissa had first met. She had gone through several methods of keeping her energy up, and all of them had eventually ended up failing.

Which only went to show just how long Jody had been doing this for…

Jody sighed lightly, and set the mug down on the far side of the computer. She was pretty sure that she wasn't going to find anything more than she already had. _And even _that's_ precious little…_

Jody picked up her mug again, and drained the last of the coffee in one gulp. She then stood up, and carried the empty mug to the door and down the stairs. She then headed into the kitchen, and ran some water into the bowl so that she could do the small amount of washing up next to the sink.

Jody poured a small amount of washing-up liquid into the bowl, and swirled her finger around in the water to generate some bubbles. She then rinsed through the plates and cups next to the sink, and put them on the draining board. After tipping the water down the sink, she dried up the items, and put them away.

_When Sam comes back, I will probably go to bed and have a nap – well, maybe after I have something to eat._

Jody found her mind turning to the thought of Melissa's younger sister – Amber. They hadn't really properly met each other – Jody had seen her at the funeral, and murmured how sorry she was for her sister's death, but that had been about it. Well, apart from exchanging numbers with the other woman in case either needed or wanted to get in touch with the other.

_She seemed quite… strange then, though. Almost distant, like her attention was on something else. It was really creepy…_

Jody was startled from her thoughts by the doorbell ringing. She jerked slightly, and then sighed. _Sometimes I really miss the days where I didn't jump at every sudden sound…_ Of course, she no longer had that kind of innocence.

Jody hung up the tea towel she was still holding, and then walked out of the kitchen and to the front door. She peered through the little peephole to see Sam standing outside, a black woman next to him, and Amber hanging back behind them. Sam also appeared to be holding some pizza boxes, balanced precariously on one hand.

_Thank goodness…_ Jody opened the front door. "Please come in." She stepped back out of the way.

"Hey." Sam smiled warmly as he stepped through, closely followed by the other woman and Amber. Sam passed the pizza boxes to Jody, and then turned to push the front door closed. "I wouldn't think they need to be heated up."

"Oh, ok." Jody glanced between Amber and the other woman. "Um, hello… My name's Jody." That was more for the benefit of Sam's friend – but she also wasn't sure if Amber remembered her or not. Melissa's sister was staring blankly around with no hint of recognition on her face.

"I'm Missouri." The black woman smiled at Jody, and reached to gently clasp her hand.

Jody blinked, feeling a little uncomfortable. Missouri's gaze was very direct, and Jody had the feeling that the woman was seeing right into her soul. After a moment, she had to look away. "Er… I have to… go and get plates and drinks and things…" She turned to walk quickly into the kitchen, saying back over her shoulder, "You can go sit in the living room, if you want." _Not that there's anywhere else they could sit…_

"You all right?"

Jody glanced up from where she was getting the plates out of the cupboard. "Huh? I'm fine. What sort of things does your friend drink?"

"I'm sure she'd be happy with anything." Sam moved to get the glasses down. "We probably all need a drink right now… Did you find anything?"

"No, not really." Jody avoided looking directly at Sam, though, and instead busied herself with setting the pizza slices out on the plates. "What about you? Did you manage to find anything out from Amber?"

"Depends on what you mean," Sam answered, sighing a little. "I'll tell you later," he promised, even as he grabbed the glasses and a bottle of wine.

* * *

Dean hovered next to Amber's bed, glancing down periodically at the young woman. The wound in her neck had all but healed over, but there seemed to be something else wrong as well. He was reluctant to leave, even though he was eager to find a way of getting back to his own world.

_But it really looks as if I'm going to have to wait until we can get to Kansas and I can talk to Missouri. I just hope that she's still around there._

Dean also couldn't deny that he was worried about Sam. He was pretty sure that, back in his world, his brother was eaten up with guilt about what had happened. _He'd just better not do anything stupid._

"Where's my boyfriend?" Amber asked suddenly, pulling Dean from his thoughts. "You're not him… So where is he?" Her tone was distinctly unfriendly.

Dean shook his head slightly, wondering how best to explain. Ghosts and vampires were one thing – the idea of parallel worlds was something completely different. "I think that he swapped places with me," he said finally. _Huh… I wonder if there's a parallel world for _every_ choice a person makes, even the little ones._ That thought was almost scary.

"So, what? _Anyone_ could enter your world?" Amber frowned.

Dean's mind went to the letters he'd found. Other-Dean had left them in the bed – where Amber would have been certain to find them. _But I don't know how she'd react if I told her that her boyfriend was so unhappy, he tried to kill himself._ "Well… I sort of got shot." _Yeah, that's explaining a lot._

"Who shot you?" Amber was staring at him, and Dean really didn't like the look in her eyes.

_It can't have just been the vampire bite – unless she's been in shock and is just starting to freak out…_ "I'm not going to say who it was," Dean replied out loud. "It's not like it was their fault anyway." Which was the truth – he didn't blame Sam at all.

_But if I'm going to end up stuck here forever, he'd better take good care of my car._

Amber folded her arms. "People get shot a lot. I'm sure that all of _them_ don't end up here."

_Apparently, she hasn't yet caught onto the fact that there are hundreds of parallel worlds out there. Good; I want to keep it that way._ Dean then sighed, realising that Amber wasn't going to stop fishing for information until she was completely satisfied. _What's wrong with me? Usually, I'm fine with lying my ass off – hell, I even enjoy it._

"Well?" Amber demanded, when Dean didn't answer.

"You're not going to like it," Dean warned. When Amber still stared at him, he continued, "This is only a theory – but when I was up here yesterday, I found these… letters. What I think happened was that your boyfriend tried to – well, kill himself – at the same time as I got shot." There was no easy way to say something like that. _What else can I say? That I'm sorry? I am… But it doesn't seem to be enough._

Amber just stared at him for a long moment. Then, she shook her head. "No," she stated. "You're… you're crazy. He'd never have tried to kill himself! He wouldn't _do_ that!"

_Well, I didn't expect her to take this well…_ "Look, I'm sorry. I don't want to be here, taking your boyfriend's place. I'm pretty sure these worlds were never meant to collide. But they _have_, and now I need to go back – and you need to get _your_ Dean back." _Maybe, once we change places again, she'll be able to give him a reason to want to live…_

Amber ducked her head a little. Dean stayed where he was, feeling awkward and rather out of place. "Look, you could always help me," he suggested. "Then, you'll get your boyfriend as well." _What exactly can I call him? 'Your boyfriend' will eventually get a bit long-winded, and it'll be too confusing to call him Dean…_

Finally, Amber lifted her head, and Dean had to take a step back as he saw that her eyes were completely black. _What? No way!_

"Cristo," he said, unable to help himself, and watched as Amber actually flinched. His eyes went to the salt shaker he had left on the table. Moving before the woman could react, he grabbed it, and swiftly shook a circle of salt around the bed. It was more an automatic reaction, and he was hoping that it would be enough to hold her there for a time.

Amber screamed with rage, and held her hands up as if they were claws. She stayed on the bed, but hissed violently at Dean.

"The only thing missing here is a forked tongue," Dean muttered. He then hurried out of the room, still carrying the salt shaker, and slammed the door shut behind him.

_Ok… So, possession. Not good. Now I have to perform an exorcism, on top of everything else. When is my life going to get less complicated?_

As he headed down the stairs, Dean paused, and frowned as he heard voices coming from the living room. He concentrated on the sounds, and was torn between relief and annoyance when he realised that the voices belonged to Sam and Jessica. _How am I going to explain what happened?_ Well, he shouldn't find it _that_ difficult. After all, he had plenty of practice at making up stories.

Dean continued walking down the stairs, and headed into the living room. "Hey," he greeted Sam and Jessica. "What's up?"

"Dude, what happened?" Sam gestured towards the broken window. "We got here, and the window's smashed. Is anyone hurt? I noticed some blood on a bit of glass." Different version of Sam didn't mean that brotherly emotion wasn't there at all.

"Someone threw a rock or something at the window," Dean answered. "Probably one of your 'wilder' friends. Some of the glass caught Amber's neck – but I treated it. She's fine." _Well, apart from being possessed and all. But other than _that_, she's just peachy._

"Did you take her to the hospital?" Jessica asked, looking worried. "And did you report the incident?"

"Of course I reported it," Dean said. "And I didn't think it was worth taking Amber to the hospital – like I said, the wound wasn't too serious. So… about going to Kansas?" He was eager to change the subject to something that might help him get back to his world – for now; there wasn't anything he could do for Amber.

_Where am I gonna find the materials I need to perform an exorcism?_

Jessica gave a slight frown, looking like she thought that maybe Dean was being a little insensitive.

"Yeah… I guess we're on for it tomorrow," Sam said. "We can only stay for the weekend, though. Mom and Dad will probably be happy to see us all again…"

"Yeah." _Oh, great,_ Dean thought. _I should have thought about having to take Amber with me… So, either I need to get an exorcism done before tomorrow, or I need to talk Sam into leaving the girls here – which I _can't_ do, because then something might happen to Jessica. Again. And then this Sam will _really_ hate me._

"I think maybe I should go up and see if Amber's all right." Jessica started to head towards the living room door.

"Oh, no, bad idea." Dean quickly moved to block Jessica's way. "Um… She's resting at the moment. It's probably not a good idea to go in to see her. In fact, I was just about to go back up to her." _I need to make sure she won't be able to hurt anyone while she's like this._

Jessica and Sam exchanged glances, both looking quite confused. Then, Sam said, "Well… Do you want to leave that salt shaker here, then?"

"Nah, I'll take it back," Dean replied with a smile. "You two have fun doing… whatever." He turned, and walked back out of the living room and up the stairs, though moved a bit slower and more thoughtfully. He wasn't sure he really wanted to face possessed-Amber – but he probably didn't have a lot of choice. _Was it something to do with that vampire bite?_ he wondered as he walked into the room. _No, that's impossible…_

Amber was still sitting on the bed, but she looked up as Dean entered the room. Her eyes were no longer black, but had gone back to their normal green, and she looked scared. "What's happening to me?" she whispered.

Dean sank down against the far wall, still holding the salt shaker. _What sort of possession seems to come to someone and leave them just as suddenly?_ "I will find a way to stop it," he promised.

The silence that fell seemed heavy and dark.


	14. Chapter 14

**Coma**

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Disclaimer:** Nuh-uh, don't own a single thing from Supernatural, and I'm pretty sure no one would buy this even if I attempted to sell it. So, I'm not making any money from this fic. You probably know by now which characters belong to me, so I'm not going to list them

**Warning(s):** The usual – violence; spoilers (up till episode ten at least); some swearing; probably some really 'dark' moments.

Once again – general thank you to people who have reviewed this fic so far – if you've left a signed review for the later chapters, I've responded to them, since it does mean an awful lot to get each and every review. Thanks also to the people who have this story on Favourites and Story Alert, as well as anyone who's read this fic but hasn't reviewed or anything. The support really is incredible

**Brief recap of previous chapter:** On the way back from picking up Missouri and Amber, Sam ended up having a spirit make a comment to him – at least, that's what it looks like. They got back to Jody's apartment, and started sorting out drinks and pizza before doing anything else.  
Meanwhile, the vampire bite seemed to have caused Amber in the parallel world to become possessed, at least temporarily. Dean also managed to arrange going up to Kansas for the following day.

* * *

Jody and Sam walked into the living room with the food and drinks. Since Missouri and Amber were both sitting down on armchairs, Sam sat down on the couch, and Jody sat next to him after setting the pizza down on the coffee table. "Um… Help yourselves," she offered, looking like she felt quite uncomfortable.

Sam looked at the three women, and tried very hard not to think about the fact that, if Dean were there, he'd have a field day. _Maybe not with Missouri – but Jody and Amber are attractive… even though Amber seems to have the ghost of her sister hovering continually around._

Missouri glanced at Sam, and raised her eyebrows, but made no comment on whatever she had picked up from him.

_Must remember to keep my thoughts in rein around Missouri… It's going to get really embarrassing otherwise._ Sam glanced at Jody, wondering again if he should let her know about Missouri's psychic abilities. _It would probably be fair to do so – but I have no idea if she would believe me, or even how she would react to that knowledge._

Missouri watched Sam a moment longer, and then turned her attention to Jody, giving a gentle smile. "How much has Sam told you about me?" she asked – even though she had to already have some idea of what Jody knew about her. The woman glanced meaningfully towards Amber, who still looked out of it, and then returned her gaze to Jody, still giving a reassuring smile.

"Not much, really," Jody admitted, looking towards Sam as if for help. "I just know that you're a… friend of his."

_I'm probably safe leaving Missouri to handle Jody,_ Sam decided. He turned his attention to Amber, still unsure about the young woman. "So… What made you decide to catch the plane?" he asked. More to the point, how had she even known that Sam would be going to the airport at that time? _Er… Maybe I should be addressing this question to her ghost._ Sam turned his attention to the area where the air was shimmering just above Amber's shoulder. _How do I talk to a ghost?_

Amber blinked at Sam, and then tilted her head slightly, as though she was listening to something. Sam felt a chill, and quickly amended his first thoughts about Dean having a field day. _She really gives me the creeps…_

"I don't think Melissa really wants to talk," Amber said, her tone soft and almost childlike.

Jody wasn't so deep into the conversation with Missouri that she didn't jerk slightly at the mention of her dead friend. Sam noticed this out of the corner of his eye, and, without actually looking at her, reached to place a hand gently on her shoulder, squeezing lightly. He didn't say anything – just attempted to silently offer his support and sympathy. _I have a pretty good idea of what she might be going through…_ "Why not?" Sam asked Amber, keeping his tone as low and non-threatening as possible – exactly how one might talk to a very small child. _Or someone who's mentally insane…_

Amber watched him a moment, winding a lock of hair around one of her fingers. "Because… you'll make her leave."

Sam frowned at that. He hadn't personally come across a case like this before, but he'd read about them. Sometimes, a relative or friend was so attached to a dead person that the very intensity of their emotions bound the ghost to them.

_If that's the case here, then it's not good for either Amber _or_ her sister._ Sam smiled at Amber. "I promise I won't do anything that she doesn't want," he attempted to reassure the woman. He was pretty sure he was safe in saying that – after all, he could probably talk Melissa's spirit – if that was really who it was – into seeing that it would be better for both her and Amber if she were to move on.

Amber tipped her head back slightly, as if she were looking up at someone. For a moment, she looked distant, as if she was talking to someone.

Sam stifled a sigh, and waited – a little impatiently, it has to be said – for whatever the spirit and/or her sister was going to decide. Of course, it was possible that Amber was simply mad, and the spirit didn't exist outside of her imagination – but, somehow, Sam didn't think that was the case. His psychic abilities weren't nearly as developed as, say, Missouri's – but they were there, and he could sense _something_ near Amber.

_I just hope that it isn't a demon or something preying on the memories of her sister._

Amber closed her eyes for a moment, and then looked at Sam. "She'll tell you what she knows – but it has to be in private," she continued, her eyes moving towards both Jody and Missouri. While making an obvious effort to have a conversation with Missouri, Jody didn't seem to be able to stop glancing towards Amber.

_I thought that Melissa and Jody were friends… Why does Melissa seem so reluctant to 'speak' in front of her?_

"That's fine," Sam replied, earning himself a rather hurt look from Jody. He squeezed her shoulder lightly again, and then moved his hand away. _I know I promised Jody I'd let her know what's up with Amber, but… Something about this whole thing strikes me as odd. I'd better leave off telling her exactly what this means, at least for now._ Unable to help himself, Sam yawned widely. The confrontation with the Vereor demon had worn him out more than he'd like.

But whoever had spoken in the car – be it Melissa or someone completely different – had been right. Until Sam could deal with whatever was going on with _him_, he wasn't going to be able to be of much use to his brother.

As well as that, Sam couldn't ignore the possibility that the Vereor demon was somehow tied to the events at Rockford Hospital. Maybe dealing with _one_ problem would provide the solution for the other.

_Besides, I'd better get the Vereor demon problem sorted out fast. I can only stay awake for so long._

Apparently satisfied by Sam's answer, Amber started digging into the pizza, and was soon followed by the others. Jody glanced sideways at Sam, and her lips quirked into a smile.

"What?" Sam couldn't help giving an answering smile, glad that Jody seemed to be feeling a bit better. _I should make sure that she doesn't end up completely losing it again, though – that definitely wasn't pleasant to deal with._

Jody shrugged. "Oh, nothing really. Just wondering if you ever eat healthily, since both of the meals you've had here have consisted of pizza."

"This is nothing compared to some of the things those boys eat," Missouri commented to Jody before Sam could say anything. "Sam and Dean live on junk food. Sooner or later, they're going to blow up like two balloons – in fact, I'm surprised they haven't already." The fact that Missouri was tucking into pizza herself belied her words.

"Nah, we work out more than enough to make up for what we eat," Sam said lightly. "With what we do, it's gonna be a long time – and probably not ever – before all the fried food catches up with us." _Well, Dean isn't here to do his smartass bit – so I guess it falls to me._

Jody smiled. "Yeah; I can see that all of the food hasn't had any affect on your appearance or weight." Then, as if embarrassed about what just came out of her mouth, she blushed a bit, and changed the subject. "So, Amber… What are you doing at the moment?"

"I'm training to be a teacher," Amber answered.

Sam blinked, taken by surprise by the woman's answer. _She wants to be a teacher…?_ It wasn't like it was any of his business – but the goal of being a teacher was quite strange for someone in Amber's position.

_I hope she realises that she'll have to go through a disclosure and various tests before she can work at being a teacher._

Missouri leaned forward slightly, looking interested. "What age are you planning on teaching?"

Amber shrank back slightly, looking almost a bit cornered. "Um… I'm not really sure at the moment," she admitted. "I've still got a little way to go with that. It's just as well I had a holiday coming up, otherwise I would never have been able to come here." Her eyes darted quickly up to the shimmering air, and then down again.

Jody had fallen silent, and was staring at the glass of wine she had poured. Abruptly, she stood up, and walked out of the living room without a word. Sam listened carefully, and was relieved when he heard her footsteps just going upstairs rather than heading out of the front door. "What's up with her?" he asked, looking between Missouri and Amber. _Well, aside from the obvious, of course._

Missouri looked rather grim. "I think it has something to do with what Melissa is going to tell you…" Abruptly, she broke off, her attention going to the shimmering air. "Ah… I see. Yes, you're welcome to, sweetie."

"What?" Amber's confusion seemed to mirror Sam's.

Missouri met Sam's gaze, but seemed to be talking to both of them as she explained, "Melissa's spirit is a little worried that her sister might be so distraught that she'd misinterpret what the spirit says. Melissa was able to communicate very briefly with me – she wants to talk through me."

"Can you do that?" Sam frowned. _I've certainly heard of _some_ psychics being able to do that, but I didn't think Missouri was one…_

Missouri nodded, but made no comment to the thought she must have heard. For a moment, she looked at the shimmering air, and then held a hand out, almost like one would try and call a small animal to them. Although Sam couldn't see Melissa, he could see when _something_ seemed to enter Missouri's body. The woman immediately sat up straight, her hands folded in her lap, looking very prim and proper. Missouri's eyes instantly changed to green – which looked quite strange on her.

"Um… Melissa?" Sam said hesitantly. He glanced towards Amber a moment, wondering if it would be a good idea to get her out of the room – it would probably be best not to upset her. "Why don't you go up and talk to Jody a bit?" he suggested. "I'm sure you two have a lot to catch up on."

Amber looked blankly at Sam a moment, and then shrugged. "Ok." She stood up, and headed out of the door as well.

"Good job on getting Jody and my sister out of the way, Sammy-boy," Missouri – or, rather, Melissa – commented.

Sam raised his eyebrows. "Sammy-boy?" _Really glad that Dean's not around to hear that – it's just another thing he'd get a kick out of._

Melissa crossed one leg over the other and laced her hands together over her knee. She leaned forward slightly with a smile. "Sorry – I have a habit of giving people nicknames. So, what did you want to know? You weren't exactly clear on the phone."

"What did you manage to find out?" Sam asked, a little eagerly, and decided to ignore the 'Sammy-boy' – at least for now. _It's probably not a good idea to piss this spirit off when she's about to give me information._

Melissa immediately lost her expression of good humour as she released a heavy sigh. "I admit it – despite all evidence to the contrary, I couldn't quite believe in the existence of demons. So… I started looking into the situation at the hospital." She paused a moment, and then continued, "I didn't like what I found out at all. It seemed to me that there was someone working _in_ the hospital who was involved with this."

Sam frowned, opened his mouth, and then closed it again. _It makes sense, and I would probably have come to that conclusion eventually anyway,_ he thought. "Did you come at all close to finding out who it might be?"

"I have… _had_ a few suspicions." Melissa looked a little distant a moment. "Unfortunately… The car accident happened before I had a chance to prove anything."

Sam shifted slightly uneasily in his seat. _Does she know what happened with the car, and whether it was really an accident…?_ "What happened?" he asked.

Melissa gave a slight shrug. "I believe that the brake lines were cut – probably, someone felt that I was getting too close to the truth." She sounded way too calm about the situation.

_I guess that she's got used to being dead – but I'm sure it must be difficult. I wonder if Jess is still around as a spirit – I _did_ see her that time, after all. At least, I _think_ I did…_ "Who were you suspicious of in the hospital?"

Melissa said nothing, but her eyes moved towards the living room door.

* * *

"So… Salt?"

Dean, startled out of his thoughts, glanced up as Amber broke the silence. "Yeah…" he replied, wondering what she was getting at. "What about it?"

"Does it repel or trap demons or something?" Amber shuddered a little, and hung her head, biting her lip slightly. Despite her obvious attempts to remain calm, she was clearly shaking a little. She fidgeted with her hands, and kept touching her neck, where the vampire bit her.

_It could be a trick,_ Dean reminded himself. He hadn't survived this long against the supernatural without learning _something_ of how the creatures acted. The fact that she hadn't yet tried to move off the bed suggested that the demon was still inside her, even if not currently in control. "Only the low-level demons," he answered cautiously.

"So they didn't even consider me worthy enough to implant a high-level demon?" Amber attempted to smile, but her lips were trembling. "Why is this happening to me?" she demanded. "I just can't… I never wanted any of this!"

"Yeah; I can understand that." Dean sighed. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, though," he attempted to reassure her. He was pretty sure that that wasn't going to make Amber feel much better, though. _Who can blame her? It would be different – and maybe easier, in a way – if she had been completely possessed… Why hasn't she been? I need to find out more about this…_

Amber hung her head a little. "I can feel it, inside me, you know," she whispered. "It's kinda like that feeling when you get butterflies in your stomach, but also when you feel really hungry, and your tummy starts rumbling… Sorry, I'm not explaining it too well, and I'm probably talking too much," she added when Dean glanced up at her.

Dean gave a slight shrug. "You can talk if you want – just make sure you stay over there." _I'd get hold of some kind of weapon, but what good would that do, if any? I can't very well shoot Amber – I want to get her unpossessed, not dead._

Amber flinched at his words, but didn't comment on them. "I wasn't planning on trying to move," she admitted. "You don't _have_ to stay with me. There's a lock on the door – you can lock me in, if you think that I'm going to be a danger to you or anyone else here." She was still trembling, though. Still looked pathetic and not dangerous at all.

_But there's nothing to stop her from losing it again, and I'm not putting myself in that position._ "If you can get off that bed with the salt around you, then you'd have no problems with breaking the lock on the door. I think I'll stay in here; I'm a light sleeper, so if you try anything, I'll wake up. Got it?" His comment was addressed to the demon inside as much as to Amber.

_A demon can probably dig deep into her memories and act like it's her when it really isn't – I'm not taking that chance. If it comes to a choice between killing Amber or letting her kill my brother, it'll be her going down every time._

"Ok," Amber whispered, still with her head down, looking pretty miserable.

"Can I get you anything?" Dean asked after a moment. _I'll worry about how to actually get it to her when I come to it._

Amber started to shake her head. Then, she hesitated. "Actually… Could I have a beer? There are some in the fridge in the kitchen."

"Sure. Wait here; I'll be back soon." Dean left the room, and closed the door behind him. Then, he bolted it shut. _Can't be too careful these days._ And, no, he was _not_ going to wonder what a bolt was doing on a bedroom door.

Dean started down the stairs, and then paused as he got about halfway down, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck prickle as he faced a familiar blonde figure. _Should have remembered to bring that salt with me._

As if reading his mind, Meg smirked. "I'm afraid that won't work on me, Dean. I'm one of those high-level demons." She laughed, but Dean seemed to hear the echoing of screams behind her voice. "I'm just getting started here. Why should I rush in my plans? I'm having a lot of fun."

"What did you do to Amber!"

Meg pretended to look hurt. "Why, Dean, I'm shocked. What makes you think _I_ did anything to Amber? Wasn't it that vampire who attacked her?"

Dean took a step forward. "Push me, and you'll see just how much damage I can do even while unarmed," he got out through gritted teeth. "I know that you were behind this somehow. Tell me how to get that demon out of her, or I swear I'll kill you!"

Meg gave a mock-sigh. "Unfortunately, there's no way of getting it out of her right now." Her bright eyes and the mocking smile playing around her lips indicated that she was enjoying herself – and that, no matter what she said, she didn't care whether things had gone as planned for her or not. "The demon might only be partly in, but it's hooked deep," she continued. "If you try to exorcise it or anything, you'll kill her – and her soul will go straight to hell."

Dean almost flinched at that, but quickly calmed himself down, and stared hard at Meg. "So why don't you tell me just what I do in order to get it out of her safely!" _I'll be damned if I let her soul go to hell._

Meg started playing with a small vial that hung around her neck. "Well… First of all, you need to give her more of this dark elixir, so that the demon can take full control of her. Then, you can exorcise it – oh, but before you can do that, it demands a sacrifice."

"What kind of sacrifice?"

Meg smirked. "Well, now… That would be telling, wouldn't it?" With those words, she was simply gone.


	15. Chapter 15

**Coma**

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Disclaimer:** I bought a Sam and Dean Winchester from Winchesters-R-Us

**Proper disclaimer:** Much as I wish I did, I don't own anything from Supernatural, and I'm not making any money from this fic. I don't own Winchesters-R-Us, either. (If I could find the fic again, I'd let you know who does)

**Warning(s):** Pretty much the same as in the other chapters. If you don't like, don't read

Once again – thank you to everyone who's taken the time to leave a review for this fic so far. Every comment means a lot – but, as I said before, if you have any suggestions as to how this fic can be made better, please don't hesitate to let me know

**Brief recap of previous chapter:** Sam had a rather interesting conversation with Melissa's spirit about what's been going on – from what she says, it seems like someone in the hospital is working with the demon.  
Meanwhile, Dean attempted to try and make Amber feel better (well, as better as possible), but soon gave up, and when he went downstairs to get her a beer, he then found Meg, once again – who mentioned something about a sacrifice before leaving…

* * *

Sam frowned, following the line of Melissa's gaze, and then turned his attention back to the woman. "You don't mean…?" He cut himself off, though, as he saw the strange look on Melissa's face, and the way Missouri's eyes were gradually beginning to darken again. 

"Melissa…?"

Melissa held up a hand. "All I can say… is that I died soon after I started looking into Jody's past." Almost before she had spoken the last word, Missouri fell limp as a dark mist was expelled from her mouth. For a long while, the psychic just remained slumped, her head lowered.

_Help me to pass on…_

Sam wasn't sure whether that thought came from Melissa's spirit, or from his own mind. Either way, he would have tried to move the spirit on anyway. _I honestly don't believe that a ghost should be kept bound and unable to leave…_ "Missouri, are you all right?" Sam asked quietly, starting to move forward.

Missouri slowly lifted her head. The woman looked rather haunted and drawn, but she smiled at Sam in an obvious attempt to reassure him. "She's gone. I think that she used up too much of her energy."

Sam frowned, remembering how most ghosts could and did take on form. "I guess she doesn't have that much energy…"

"Either that, or she's conserving it for something – which is the impression I got from her. I don't know what she's conserving it _for_, though – her mind, if one could call it that, was too tightly shielded."

Sam frowned again, unable to help his slight feeling of uneasiness. He poured himself another glass of wine and drank some. His hands were shaking a little, but that couldn't be helped. He supposed it was a delayed reaction to everything that had been going on. _I don't know how the hell I'm supposed to deal with the Vereor demon on top of everything else. Sometimes, it seems so… easy… to just give up. Ever since Jessica's death, it's been Dean who's been holding me together._

_There's no way that I'll be able to pull this off on my own… But if what Melissa said is true – and I have no reason to doubt her – Missouri's the only one I can really trust. Jody could be working for the demon, and Amber just seems mentally unstable…_

"I wouldn't do _anything_ unless you're absolutely sure of what you know," Missouri said, her tone serious. "Find out what you can, and don't accuse anyone unless you're absolutely sure. And don't cuss," she added, almost as an afterthought.

"But I…" Sam's voice trailed off. He'd been about to say that he hadn't cursed out loud, only in his mind – but, of course, Missouri could read his mind. He sighed, shaking his head slightly. "What else can I do? I will _not_ let anything happen to Dean!" _At least, not anything more…_ "Missouri, his doctor found a lot of alcohol and sleeping pills in Dean's stomach. Why would he find that? Dean wouldn't try to kill himself! Would he…? Was it my fault? I hurt him – I shot him, first with rock salt, then with a regular bullet. What kind of brother am I! I've failed him in so many ways…" Sam lowered his head.

"Oh, honey." Missouri reached out to gently cover Sam's hands with her own. "What happened wasn't your fault. It could have just as easily been Dean the doctor's spirit possessed."

Sam shook his head violently, refusing to look at Missouri. "Dean would _never_ have pulled that trigger. He's always looked after me. He's my older brother, my protector… He practically raised me! And look at how I repaid him…!" Sam couldn't stop the tears that sprang to his eyes. He was so tired and heartsick…

Missouri squeezed Sam's hands gently. "It wasn't your fault, Sam," she repeated, her tone soft and soothing. "There was nothing you could have done about it, and your brother understands that. He loves you, even if he doesn't tell you that in words."

"Why would he try to kill himself?" Sam whispered.

Missouri went quiet for a moment, looking thoughtful. When she spoke up, it was with a question of her own. "Sam… Why do you think that Dean's in a coma?"

"I don't know…" Sam freed one of his hands from Missouri's to wipe at his eyes, trying with all that he had to stay calm. "I guess either a combination of my shooting him and Doctor Ellicott attacking; or possibly the sleeping pills…" He hadn't asked the doctor what might have caused it, and he probably should have.

"Do you believe in parallel worlds?"

"Huh?" Sam frowned. "Parallel worlds?" _Like worlds with different versions of ourselves in or something?_

Missouri nodded. "Yes, that's right," she answered. "Sometimes I think that psychics can see certain things because they've already happened. Now you listen to me, boy. Your brother didn't try to kill himself – and what happened to him was _not_ your fault. It could have happened to anyone."

"What do you mean?" Sam couldn't help feeling confused. This continual talk in riddles was beginning to annoy him. Not to mention the frustration that it was causing. "I'm assuming the tests didn't lie – if Dean didn't try to kill himself, what are the sleeping pills doing in his system?" It was a real effort not to lose control of himself and blow up at Missouri. He had to keep reminding himself that this wasn't her fault, and that she was in fact there to help.

"Please be patient," Missouri said. "Your brother's in no danger right at this moment. Anyway, although I haven't actually _seen_ what I'm about to tell you, I've heard stories about it happen. Sometimes, a gateway between this world and one of the parallel worlds can be weakened, and a… paradox can occur."

"A paradox?"

Missouri nodded. "Something can happen to a person in this world, and something can happen to their 'twin' that's similar, at the same time. In other words, the reason for those substances being in Dean's body would be because, at the same time that Dean got shot and attacked by the ghost, his 'twin' in a parallel world tried to kill himself."

_And the scary thing is, that actually seemed to make sense…_ "Then how do I get him back?" Sam asked. "Can I enter the world he's in?"

"It's not possible." Missouri patted his hands once, and then drew back slightly. "The circumstances have to be exactly right. The chances are, nothing will happen – though it's possible that you'd end up in a completely different world."

_What else _can_ I do?_ If Missouri's intention had been to make Sam feel better, it hadn't worked at all.

"What you're doing now," Missouri responded to Sam's thought. "All that you can. No one can ask anything more from you."

Sam sighed, and put his head in his hands. "My best isn't good enough." He was failing his brother. Actually, he'd already failed his brother – he was just making it even worse now. _What am I going to do? There are so many questions, and not enough answers._ Part of the problem with how he was feeling was also to do with his lack of sleep. Now, he was just feeling so tired…

"I know that you're worried about the situation with your brother, Sam," Missouri said. "And about what's happening with the demon. However, your body _does_ need sleep – and when it forces you to sleep, you'll be extremely unprepared."

"Yeah, I get that." Sam shook his head slightly. "I'm going to try and find out as much as I can about the Vereor demon, so that I can face it on equal ground. I remembered that its tentacles are quite sensitive, and was able to hurt it – I think."

"You must be able to get rid of it completely," Missouri pointed out. "Even if it can't go after _you_, there's nothing to stop it from attacking someone else."

"I _know_." Sam raked his hands through his hair. "I'm going to do all that I can to find out about the demon. In fact, I was thinking about heading to the library tomorrow. I would have gone today – but, of course, there was quite a lot happening."

"I really don't think that you're going to be able to stay awake for yet another night."

Sam shrugged. "I've done it before," he responded, thinking of the time after Jessica's death. He still had nightmares about it…

_And it's probably going to be even worse now that the Vereor demon's gone after me._ He glanced towards the stairs a moment. "I wonder what Jody and Amber are doing at the moment…" He said it more to change the subject than out of any real worry. _I'm sure I'd know if anything were to happen…_

Missouri looked towards the stairs as well, and then gave a slight shrug. "Amber's playing around on the computer, and Jody's asleep."

"Asleep?" Sam frowned, and then bit his lip slightly. _I hope that the Vereor demon doesn't see her as a target…_ He might not be sure about Jody's involvement in the business with the hospital – but that didn't mean he wanted to see her or anyone else become the prey of the demon. "I should probably go and check on her…" And see if he could find anything, of course. He then glanced at the dirty plates and glasses. "Uh… After I do the washing up, of course."

"I'll do that," Missouri offered. When Sam gave her a surprised look, she gave a smile. "Housework tends to relax me and give me time to think. I would assume that you haven't discovered that yet. Then again, you've been staying in motels for quite a while now. You haven't had to do much housework."

"We've been washing our clothes," Sam protested, not paying too much attention to the fact that he was still using 'we' – talking about his brother as well.

Missouri raised her eyebrows. "In the laundrette?"

"Well…" Sam shrugged slightly. "If you don't mind doing the washing up, then you're welcome to do so. I'll go upstairs and check that Jody's doing all right…"

Missouri nodded, and then paused, frowning a little, as she glanced towards the stairs. "She's not up there anymore…" The psychic sounded surprised, and not a little worried.

"Huh?" Sam also looked towards the stairs. "Then where is she?" He wanted to run up the stairs and look around, but realised that he'd be searching more or less 'blind' – so he decided to stay downstairs. "What about Amber? Is she gone as well?"

"No, she's still on the computer."

"Right." Sam made up his mind, and quickly started up the stairs, starting to become more convinced that Melissa's words might actually be close to the truth…

* * *

Min-Li unlocked the front door of her apartment, and stepped inside, holding her bag of groceries with one arm. She closed the door behind her, and switched on the light in her hall, before carrying the groceries through to the kitchen and switching on the light there. Before she started putting the items away, she pressed the Play button on the answer-phone to listen to any messages. 

The first message was from Min-Li's older sister, saying that she was in town and wanted to meet up for drinks. The second was from one of the other receptionists in the hospital, asking Min-Li to take her shift next week while she went to a wedding.

Min-Li finished putting the groceries away, and then opened the fridge. She took the bottle of milk out, and twisted the lid off. She opened a cupboard, and took a glass out before closing it again.

The woman poured the milk into her glass, and then leaned back slightly against the side as she drank.

* * *

Dean stared at the spot where Meg had been for a long moment, feeling quite hot. He clenched his fists at his sides, and fought down the urge to punch something – preferably the wall. _It's not going to help any if I let my anger take control of me – but it would sure as hell make me feel better._

"Hey, Dean?"

Dean turned round, and gave a slight frown as he noticed Sam standing a little way behind him. "Hey, what are you doing up?" _More to the point, why didn't I hear him approaching? Did Meg's presence _really_ affect me that much?_ "Couldn't sleep? Nightmares?" The moment Dean said it, he wished he hadn't. He needed to remember – _this_ Sam hadn't gone through the same things as the Sam in _his_ world had gone through?

Sam's face showed his confusion – Dean could read his brother like an open book. "What do you mean by that?" Then, he shook his head. "Never mind. I didn't come looking for you to have an argument."

"Then what _did_ you come looking for me for?" Dean remembered the argument he and Sam had had earlier, when they had talked about the parallel worlds.

Sam gave a sigh. "Look, about that conversation we had earlier… I'm not saying that I believe you. To be honest, this whole thing sound kinda… crazy. But I figure – hey, you're my brother. I've _got_ to stick by you, because who else is gonna?"

_Yeah, that's real comforting._ "Well, good," Dean said. "Thanks. You don't have to believe me – but I'll feel better if at least _one_ person is on my side." Amber didn't exactly count, given that she was at least partially possessed.

Sam nodded. "Can I do anything at the moment?"

"Nah, just rest right now," Dean answered. "I've got it covered – I'm just gonna get Amber a beer or something."

"I'll just go up to bed," Sam commented. "I booked tomorrow off, and took the liberty of doing the same for you. So we can head to Kansas as soon as we're all ready tomorrow."

"Yeah, great." It occurred to Dean that he was going to have to spend some time packing during the next day. He would also prefer to take Amber with them, so that he had her where he could keep his eye on her. "So you just go do college-boy stuff or whatever… And make sure to get some good rest."

"Some things just don't change," Sam muttered, as he turned to start up the stairs again.

Dean waited until his brother had gone up the stairs, and then headed into the kitchen. He started to open the fridge, but then hesitated, turning slightly.

There, sitting innocently on the side, was a vial exactly like the one Meg had worn around her neck.

Dean hesitated a moment, frowning to himself. _I must be crazy to even _consider_ this…_ It was a dangerous game that Meg was playing. Whatever choice Dean made, it was pretty obvious that _someone_ was going to wind up dead.

Dean paused, considering, and then picked up the vial. For a long moment, he just stood there, staring at the little container. Then, using the chain that was attached to the vial, he slipped it over his head, where it swung beside his necklace. _I'm pretty sure that no one will ask me why I'm wearing this – but I'll be able to come up with a story that sounds plausible enough should I need to._

It felt strange to have the black elixir so close to him, though. Dean could imagine the liquid sloshing around inside – although he couldn't hear anything. He wondered briefly if the elixir might be able to seep through the vial into his skin, and quickly made sure that it was resting against the material of his shirt rather than against his skin.

_Well, this means that I'm gonna have to make sure no one else can get to this vial… Hm, I wonder if I could get a shielding spell or protection spell to put on it._ Well, he wouldn't be able to do that right now – so maybe he would have to tuck it under his shirt anyway, at least for tonight.

After doing so, Dean opened the fridge, and took out two cans of beer. He closed it again, and was going to head out of the kitchen and back upstairs. However, an idea occurred to him, and he spent a little while opening and closing various cupboards until he found what he was looking for. Then, he carried the empty bottle and cans of beer upstairs.

Instead of going immediately to Amber's room, though, Dean knocked on the door of Jessica and Sam's room. _I might wake them up – but a little bit of discomfort right now is better than getting attacked by a demon tomorrow._

Finally, the door was opened by Sam, who blinked blearily at Dean. "Huh? What's wrong, Dean?"

"Nothing's wrong." Dean gave an innocent smile. "Are you kids having fun? Oh, while you're awake – you or Jessica wouldn't happen to own a rosary, would you?"

"Huh?" Sam frowned, looking confused, and rather out of it. "Jessica might have one… Why do you want a rosary?"

Dean smiled again. "Oh, there's just something I need to check out," he answered. "I _would_ have waited until tomorrow – but I might have forgotten by then, not to mention we're going to Kansas." _Somehow, I don't think Sammy would really accept my _real_ reason for needing a rosary._

"Oh, ok." Sam yawned. "Just a moment." He stepped back into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Dean heard his brother talking quietly for a moment, and then moving around, before Sam came back out again. The man held out a rosary out to his brother. "Here. I don't know what you need it for – but good luck, whatever it is."

"Thanks." Dean tucked the bottle and one of the cans of beer under his arm, before reaching out to take the rosary. He looked it over as Sam went back inside the bedroom. _It's rather plain… But it'll get the job done._

Dean then walked into Amber's room – without knocking, of course. He didn't wait for Amber to react, just set the cans of beer on the side, and then scuffed the salt, breaking the circle.

"What are you _doing_…?" Amber was cut off, though, as Dean strode forward, grabbed her arm, and all but pulled her off the bed. "Dean?"

Dean ignored Amber's words, and pretty much dragged her out of the room. As he headed in the direction of the bathroom, he spoke sharply and shortly, but his words weren't actually addressed to Amber. "I'm going to show you _exactly_ what you're dealing with here. Trust me, if you even _think_ of showing your face here, you'll be sorry."

"You're hurting my arm…"

"Sorry," Dean replied, but wasn't really _that_ sorry. He still kept tight hold of Amber's arm. "I'm just trying to take every precaution possible right now. I don't see any way around taking you to Kansas tomorrow, so I'm going to do all that I can to make that bastard want to stay out of sight."

"Oh…" Amber glanced at the bottle and the rosary Dean was holding. "What are those for?"

"Take a wild guess." Dean pulled Amber into the bathroom, and pushed her down onto the toilet seat. "Make sure that _thing_ can see what I'm doing." He plugged the sink, and then ran some water, waiting for the sink to fill up.

"If this thing knows whatever it is you're about to do, why isn't it coming out?" Amber asked.

"I think it was triggered by something," Dean answered without looking at her. "Probably because you got mad." He wasn't going to tell Amber about seeing Meg – there was no need to make her even more scared than she already was.

_Besides, making her scared will probably work exactly the same as making her angry – it'll allow the demon to take control._ Well, it made sense to Dean. He fell silent, though, and turned the tap off. He then put the rosary in the water and started speaking in Latin. _I've had this drilled into my head since I was a kid…_

Once he had finished, Dean took the lid off the bottle, slipped it into the water, and filled it to just below the neck. He then screwed the lid back on, and turned to Amber, holding the bottle up.

"Holy water."


	16. Chapter 16

**Coma**

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Supernatural, and I'm not making any money from this fic. Any characters you don't recognise from the show, I probably own. Anything you recognise from other fandoms, I don't own

As always, a general thank you to those of you who have left a review, as well as added this fic to Story Alerts or Favourites. It's really nice to know that people are liking this fic

**Warning(s):** Violence; horror; character death; characters getting hurt; spoilers up to and including episode ten; some swearing

**Author's Note:** I apologise for what some may see as a lack of action in this chapter – but trust me when I say that this does further the story.  
Besides… I figured the readers needed something of a break from the constant intensive action.

* * *

Sam paused in the doorway of Jody's room, and frowned at the fire escape he saw next to the window. "Oh, great… I should have thought of checking that." Then again, he hadn't been expecting Jody to try and get out via a fire escape.

_I was too concerned about her leaving by the front door…_

Sam was vaguely aware of Missouri coming to stand behind him. "She may not be involved at all," the psychic commented. "Other than working at the hospital and trying to help Melissa, of course."

Sam shook his head slightly. "Why would she leave, then?" he asked. A glance around revealed that Jody didn't seem to have left her cell phone – at least, not in her bedroom. The room itself seemed neat and tidy, free of any clutter.

Just like the rest of the house…

Sam hesitated only a moment, and then strode over to the wardrobe, not really caring at all about the woman's privacy. He opened it, and stared at the clothes a moment. _Ok… nothing of any interest here whatsoever. Does this woman never go out or something? There are hardly any dresses or skirts…_

"You probably shouldn't be doing that."

Sam sighed, and closed the door again. "I guess you're right. I'm just so…" He gestured slightly. "I want to get my brother back."

"You will," Missouri promised.

Sam gave a rather hesitant smile. "Is that something you can see, or are you just trying to make me feel better? Actually, never mind. I don't want to know." _I'd rather think that it's a certainty I'll get Dean back rather than be told that the only psychic I know has no idea. Or, worse, that she knows it won't happen._ "Do you know anything about where Jody may have gone? Or what her intentions are?"

Missouri shook her head. "There are people who seem to have almost… cloudy minds, which makes it very difficult to read them."

Sam frowned. "You mean like they're psychics?" Jody didn't _seem_ like a psychic to him. Then again, it wasn't like he knew the signs of someone being a psychic.

Missouri was shaking her head again, though. "No, it's not an indication of psychic ability. Not in the sense that you and I know, at least. What I sensed is more the influence of a demon."

"A demon?" Sam repeated. _The same one who's been attacking all of those people in comas?_ he wondered. Then, "So… Melissa was correct? Jody _is_ the one working with the demon?"

"Since I can't see into her mind, I don't know. But I have to admit that it _does_ look rather strange, her just running out like that." Missouri sighed a little. "It doesn't look good. What do you want to do?"

"We should probably go and find Jody." _Because if she really _is_ involved, then I need to stop her. And if she _isn't_, then she's probably in danger._

"Why?"

Missouri and Sam both turned, to see Amber standing a little way outside the room. Her expression was one of vague curiosity, but she didn't really seem to understand what was going on.

"Never you mind, honey," Missouri said immediately, glancing warningly at Sam before looking back at Amber. "Why don't you go back to working on the computer?"

Sam knew that Missouri didn't want him to upset Amber, but he didn't care. He was worried and frightened, as well as feeling extremely tired. "Jody left just after I talked to your sister," he replied. "I don't know where she's gone – and it's not like she left a note or anything." He stopped himself from continuing to his observation about Jody working with the demon who had been killing people in the hospital.

Amber was mentally fragile enough already…

Amber blinked, and then frowned, tilting her head slightly. "Oh, I knew already that she left," she answered. "I heard her talking on the phone."

"And you didn't see fit to tell us that!" Despite his best efforts, Sam couldn't help raising his voice.

Amber flinched, and her lower lip trembled. "I didn't realise I was supposed to tell you…" she mumbled. The woman actually looked like she might be about to cry.

_Which would be _really_ awkward…_

"It's all right," Missouri said soothingly, placing her hand on Amber's shoulder. "Sam didn't mean anything by it. What did you hear? Do you know who called Jody, or who she called?"

Amber wiped the back of her hand across her eyes, and shook her head. "I couldn't really hear much. But I don't think she called anyone. From what I _did_ hear, she sounded like she was panicking about something…" She looked between Sam and Missouri, almost as if trying to see if that was what they were looking for.

"Panicking?" Sam repeated, frowning. "Why would she be doing that? No, never mind," he added quickly. "That's not important right now. What _is_ important is that we find Jody. So I'll try heading over to the hospital…" His voice trailed off as he heard the phone – the one in the study, he assumed – start ringing. He walked out of the room, moving past Missouri and Amber, and headed into the study to answer the phone. "Hello?"

"Hello, this is Doctor Nelson," the voice on the other end replied. "Is Jody there?"

"I'm afraid she isn't." Sam attempted to keep his voice calm. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to tell Doctor Nelson of his suspicions about the man's niece. "Can I take a message?"

"I was just wondering if she's heard the news…"

"What news?" Sam demanded instantly. Something in the doctor's tone alerted him to there being something wrong, and his grip tightened slightly on the cord. "Is my brother all right!"

"Your brother's fine," Doctor Nelson replied. "It's just… There's been an accident with one of the people working here at the hospital. The person involved is a friend of Jody's, so I thought that I'd let her know, if she doesn't already."

_Hm… That could explain why Jody was panicked if she found out about her friend, but not why she went out the fire escape rather than the front door. Unless she thought that I would stop her from going…_ "I really couldn't say whether she knows or not, since she's not in. What happened?" He had the feeling that by 'accident', Doctor Nelson really meant that Jody's friend was dead.

Sam's suspicions turned out to be correct as the doctor answered, "I'm still waiting for the report from the coroner. When Jody comes back, will you please tell her to give me a call?"

"Sure. Bye." Sam put the phone down, and then realised that he hadn't asked the doctor who had died.

_Well, he'll tell Jody, I'm sure…_

"Is everything all right, Sam?"

Sam glanced towards the door, and saw Missouri standing there. Amber was behind her, shuffling her feet slightly and looking rather uncomfortable.

"Yeah," Sam replied, sighing a little. He probably didn't need to tell Missouri about the phone call – all she needed to do was look into his mind, and she'd see what had just happened. Feeling suddenly weary, he slumped into the chair in front of the computer, and put his head in his hands.

_I can't do this. I can't cope anymore. I'm not strong like Dad or Dean. I never was. It should be _me_ in the coma. I know that Dean would move heaven and earth to save me, if he had to. Why can't I do the same thing for him?_

"Sam…" Missouri's voice trailed off, and then she glanced behind her at Amber. "Why don't you show Sam what you told me?"

Amber nodded, a little hesitantly, and then brushed carefully past the psychic and headed over to the computer. "Um… I was taking a look at some of the things Jody has saved," she commented. "Nothing private, of course. I clicked on the trash can, and I found…" She clicked on the trash can symbol on the computer, and then opened one of the files, which brought up the scanned first page of an old newspaper.

Sam frowned, staring at the picture in front of him. The date on the newspaper was January 19th 1958. Most of the paper was yellowed and obviously stained with age, even on the computer screen. However, it wasn't the writing that got his attention, but rather the picture that was shown.

Sam felt a chill as he remembered his words to Jody – about how the demon could grant someone immortality, among other things.

The woman in the photograph shared the exact likeness of Jody…

Missouri looked at the screen over Sam's shoulder. She didn't attempt to reassure him of Jody's innocence. "From what I can tell, none of the victims seem to have been killed before they woke up from their coma."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"No, because I know you well enough to know that it _won't_ make you feel better," Missouri said. "But I imagine your brother would be much harder for me to deal with."

Sam couldn't even muster up a faint smile at that – although he knew it was probably true. He sighed, saved the file again, and closed it down. Then, he stood up.

Amber took a slight step back as Sam turned his intense gaze on her. He stalked over to her, and grabbed her arm, looking into green eyes that were wide in a pale, frightened face. "You tell your sister that I don't give a _damn_ what she's saving her energy for. She's gonna help me whether she wants to or not." He gave the woman a little shake for emphasis.

Amber flinched a little, and her lower lip trembled. For a moment, tears filled her eyes.

"Sorry…" Sam let go of Amber's arm, feeling bad for upsetting her – but that didn't change what he needed. "Melissa's been saving up her energy for something big. I really don't care _what_, but I need some of it."

"What for?"

"Sam, honey, are you sure that's wise?" Missouri asked, apparently having gleaned something of what was going through his mind. "You still don't know too much about the Vereor demon. It could easily hurt you badly this time. Or, worse, corrupt your mind in some way. You should give it some time…"

"I don't _have_ time, Missouri! I can't help anyone – least of all my brother – until I stop this demon. If Jody's _really_ involved, then I need to do fight the Vereor demon sooner rather than later." Sam turned to Amber again, too rattled to worry about mincing words. "Will she help me!" _I'll worry about finding Jody and discovering just what's going on with her later,_ he decided.

Amber looked a bit distant for a moment. Then, she nodded. "She said that she'll help you… If you tell her what to do."

"If you're determined to do this, then I won't stop you. What I _will_ do is monitor your sleeping pattern, and wake you up if need be."

"Thank you," Sam said. "But I think I need to be in pretty deep sleep for any of this to work. So if Jody has any sleeping pills in the medicine cabinet, I'm going to take one. So if anything happens, you'll probably need to wake me up mentally." He really disliked the thought of having to face the Vereor demon again – but he realised that he didn't have much other choice. _Not if I want to have any chance of stopping this…_ He turned to Missouri. "While I sort out the sleeping pill and explain to Melissa what I need her to do, can you go out to the car and get the items I need for an exorcism?"

"Of course."

Sam gave a brief smile, and dug into his pocket for the car keys. He then handed them to Missouri. "Thanks." _I have no idea if a general exorcism will work, but it won't hurt anything to try._

Missouri nodded, and took the keys. "I'll be back soon. I just hope that the car will be in better shape than it was last time," she muttered as she left the room.

"Come on," Sam said, and reached for Amber's arm again. He started to pull her out of the room, but paused as a confused look came over the woman's face. "What's wrong?"

Amber shook her head. "Nothing, never mind." She followed Sam out of the room, still looking sort of confused.

* * *

Amber stared at the bottle in Dean's hand, and then at him. "Holy water?" she repeated. "What's _that_ supposed to do to the demon? It's supposed to burn vampires, right?"

"Vampires are also meant to have horrible faces and burn in direct sunlight," Dean pointed out. "But you didn't see _that_ happening, did you? Holy water burns demons," he explained. "It's not the _best_ way of incapacitating someone who's possessed – but it's probably far safer than leaving you here to wreak havoc."

"_I_ wouldn't wreak havoc," Amber protested. "And what do you mean, holy water burns demons? The demon's inside of me, so does that mean it's gonna burn _me_?"

Dean eyed her cautiously a moment. "If I say 'yes,' do you promise not to lose it completely?" _Much as I like and respect women, and much as I enjoy sleeping with them, I will _never_ understand them._

"I don't want to get burned!"

"Would you prefer to kill innocent people?" Dean's tone was cold. _I won't be able to do this without at least _some_ co-operation from Amber,_ he realised. _And this definitely isn't the most ideal situation – but it's the best I can come up with._

College-boy probably wouldn't be able to come up with anything better, even if Dean had his real-world brother with him.

"It wouldn't be _me_ who was killing them." Amber's tone was filled with doubt, though. She sighed, and lowered her head slightly. "You won't do anything that'll… permanently damage me. Will you?"

Dean remembered his decision to let Amber die rather than Sam. However, he was very reluctant to do that, even if it meant preventing anyone else from dying. "I won't kill you," he promised. _She'll have to be content with that._

Amber didn't look very reassured at all. "Great, thanks. My boyfriend's probably dead, and I've got a complete maniac who has no qualms about hurting people if something happens that they can't help!" She was beginning to look quite distressed.

"Close your eyes and count to ten," Dean suggested quickly.

Amber stared at him. "What!" It had the desired effect of distracting her from whatever thoughts she was having, though.

"If you feel yourself getting angry, annoyed, upset, or whatever; close your eyes and count to ten. It might go a little way to calming you down." _Other ways of coping with strong emotions should probably have occurred to me…_

"Whatever." Amber lowered her head, looking like she was near to tears – but Dean could see that she was attempting to calm herself down.

Dean sighed, and then offered a hand to Amber. After she took it – a little hesitantly – he pulled her to her feet. "Come on. You probably need to get some sleep." He led her through to the bedroom, considering. _My necklace has been imbued with protective spells… If I let her wear it for tonight, it should prevent the demon from being able to take her completely while she's sleeping._

Amber leaned a little into Dean, looking out of it. Her eyelids were drooping, and she was yawning, not to mention stumbling over her own feet.

_No wonder she's exhausted… She's had a really long day. We both have._

Dean helped Amber in the bedroom, and pushed her gently down onto the bed. He then removed his necklace, and slipped it over her head.

Amber looked up at him. "What… are… you… doing…?" She sounded weak, and looked pretty pale.

Dean looked into her eyes for a moment. "I'm not going to chance something happening during the night. You feel weak because the spells are holding back the demon, and therefore part of your soul as well." He picked up the salt shaker, and re-created the circle of salt. "Now try to get some sleep. I'll sleep on the floor." _If she wakes up during the night, or anything happens, I'm bound to know._

Amber nodded slowly. "There are blankets in the wardrobe." She pointed towards it.

"Thank you." Dean headed towards the wardrobe, and opened it.

_I've taken all of the precautions I can – and there's nothing else I can do,_ he thought.


	17. Chapter 17

**Coma**

**Chapter Seventeen**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Supernatural, and I'm not making any money from this fic. Any character you don't recognise from the show, I probably own. Anything you recognise from other fandoms, I don't own

**Warning(s):** Strong violence; some swearing; spoilers up to and including episode ten; implications of sex

**Author's Note:** I know that I still have The Legend of Bloody Mary and Agony to work on. However, this fic is getting to the stage where it's more or less demanding to be written – and it's getting towards the end now. So, currently, the other fics are paused for the time being. Apologies to those of you are waiting on them. I'll get back to the fics when I can.

Also, thank you to all of those who have read and reviewed this fic so far, as well as to those who have this fic on Story Alert or Favourites. Thanks!

* * *

Jody stood just outside Min-Li's house, staring at the building. She felt… numb. There was a strange feeling going through her. She felt all choked-up, and close to tears. She was trembling, and her hands felt clammy and cold.

_I shouldn't _be_ here…_

But she wasn't leaving. She _couldn't_ leave. Even though there were probably cops crawling around inside the house. _I got what I came for… But this is Min-Li. We've been friends ever since I started volunteering at the hospital._

_She deserves more from me than a moment's thought._

Jody cast a glance down at the milk bottle she was holding in her hands, and her mind went to the phone call she had received. She hadn't exactly told Sam everything – but it wasn't like she really _could_. She'd made a promise, after all.

_I couldn't leave this milk in the house after I found out about Min-Li's death… I need to get this tested._ Whatever had killed her friend was likely to be in the drink.

Anyone who knew the woman well knew that she loved drinking milk.

Finally, Jody took a deep breath, and turned from the house. As she did, she caught sight of a young man standing beside the house. He half-lifted his hand, and Jody nodded slightly in acknowledgement.

_Where to now? I don't think I can go home… Not yet, anyway. I don't want to face them, not even Sam, right now. They'd want to know where I was, and I'm not ready to tell anyone that. Not yet._ She glanced down at the bottle in her hands. _Who can I ask to test what's in this? Who can I _trust

Jody gave a heavy sigh, and started walking slowly, feeling much older than her twenty-one years.

* * *

_Sam opened his eyes, and glanced around, frowning slightly to himself as he recognised the dream forest from before. The misty sense of unreality wasn't there anymore, but he felt kind of weak still. Even so, he started walking, glancing from side to side. _How do I get the demon to come to me?

"_You're back. Have you decided that you can't handle your own life anymore?"_

_Sam turned round, and found himself face-to-face with the Vereor demon. She – or it – had gone back to the human form. Sam was careful to avoid looking into her eyes. What he'd found out before going to sleep claimed that the Vereor demon was able to hypnotise people in various ways._

_The demon smirked at him. "What's the matter, Sammy? You look a little… lost for words. Aww. Can't you handle me?" She reached out to run her fingers over Sam's cheek, smiling disarmingly at him. "Come on, Sam… Don't you want to be free of all that pain?"_

_The demon's words were frighteningly tempting. Sam couldn't help thinking that he really did want to be free of the pain. It would be so easy to just let go, to give in to the demon's soft promises…_

No. I can't do that._ Sam backed away from the demon, making sure to avoid looking directly into her eyes. "I'm going to give you one chance to do what I say, and then I'm gonna exorcise you," he tried._

_The demon laughed, moving forward as Sam moved back. "Nice try, Sam. But I think you're bluffing. If you had the means to exorcise me, you'd be getting straight to it rather than attempting to talk to me."_

_Sam stopped backing away, and stayed perfectly still as the demon slipped one arm around behind his neck. Although her face stayed the same, Sam could feel the cool, slightly velvety tentacle pressing against the nape of his neck. The suckers gently kissed his skin, but Sam felt powerless to do anything as the demon caught and held his gaze._

_The demon's lips widened into a smile, and she leaned up to whisper into Sam's ear. "Surrender, and I promise you won't regret it."_

_Sam could feel himself faltering. As the demon's eyes glowed with an unholy light, he felt his knees beginning to buckle. Screams echoed through his mind, and, behind them all, was the sound of laughter. A voice called to him, and Sam no longer seemed to see the demon – instead, it was Jessica standing before him._

Jessica…_ Sam didn't know if he had spoken out loud or inside his mind, and he didn't care. He lifted a hand to touch Jessica's chin, and she closed her eyes, that smile he loved playing around her lips. Her hand against the back of his neck felt warm and smooth._

"_Jessica…" Sam whispered, ignoring the feeling that something wasn't right. He lifted his arms to slip around her slim form, frowning slightly as he felt the weight of something on his shoulder. _My backpack… Why do I have it with me?_ He bit his lip, struggling mentally as he held Jessica close._

"_Sh…" she murmured, leaning up to kiss him even as a strange glow glinted in her eyes._

_Sam immediately jerked backwards, and let out a short cry as he felt something sharp slice into the back of his neck. Moving instinctively, he ducked under the demon's arm, starting to go backwards, but stumbled over his own feet. He gasped, closing his eyes for a moment, feeling like there was ice-cold water flowing through his veins._

"_Didn't you read up on me properly, Sammy?" The demon approached him, her hands on her hips. Although the rest of her form still appeared human, the arm that had been behind Sam was now a tentacle. And there was blood staining the tentacle, as well as a strange ichor. There was an acrid smell assaulting Sam's nose._

_Sam wanted to get away from the demon. However, he had the feeling that his legs weren't going to support him. He felt weak, and his limbs were heavy. Bile rose in the back of his throat, and it was tempting to just curl up and let whatever was going to happen do so._

But I'm a Winchester… And we don't quit._ Sam slipped his hand into his backpack, and closed his fingers around the bottle that was there. He pulled the bottle out, and held it against his side, his arm over the bottle in order to keep it half-hidden from the demon's view._

Thank goodness Missouri was able to make sure that this stuff could come here with me…

_The demon stopped just in front of Sam, smiling in an almost insane way. "I cut myself, and then I cut you. My blood's running through your veins now. You're under my control now. The only way to be totally free of me is to destroy me." She smirked. "I don't see anyone around willing to help you."_

_Sam ignored the demon's words, and started to undo the bottle. As the demon got closer, he shook the bottle up, and the liquid sprayed all over the demon._

_For a moment, there was silence. Then, the screaming started as smoke rose from the demon's form._

_Sam smiled, but without any humour in it. "Holy water," he commented, at the same time thinking, _Yes! It worked!

_However, before Sam could feel much exultation, he felt a sudden burning in his own face. He gasped, pressing the palms of his hands against his forehead. He couldn't stop himself from groaning with pain, and found himself wishing for his brother – just like a small kid who'd had a nightmare._

_The screaming stopped as suddenly as if someone had thrown a switch. The demon moved closer to Sam, and reached a hand out to lightly touch his head, all signs of pain now gone. "Poor Sam. You really should have tried to find out more information before coming back here. It's too late now; you're mine."_

_Sam hung his head, feeling somehow defeated. He could feel the demon's blood running through his veins. Once again, he wished that his brother was there. _Dean would know what to do… Surely.

_The demon lightly ran her hand down the side of Sam's face. But he wasn't all that out of it yet. Sam jerked backwards, raising a hand up in an attempt to fend her off. "Are you the one who's been going after the people in comas?"_

_The demon paused, moving back slightly, and tilting her head slightly. "What's with the question? I'm not interested in a questions and answers session. If I tell you what you want to know, what will I get in return?"_

"_Your life," Sam answered simply._

_The demon threw her head back and laughed. "My life? Oh, that's rich. What are you gonna do, Sammy? You can barely stand up to face me right now! To be honest, I expected better. More of a fight from one of the famous Winchesters."_

_Sam smiled, almost in spite of himself. "I have a plan…" _I just wasn't expecting you to do something like mix our blood,_ he added silently, struggling to raise a hand to the back of his neck. _I hope that it doesn't have any… lasting effects.

_The demon raised her eyebrows. "Oh? That holy water wasn't very nice, Sammy. Do you often burn a girl with holy water?"_

"_It's _Sam_!" Sam glared at the demon. _Dean's the only one I halfway don't mind calling me 'Sammy'…_ He glanced past the demon, and nodded, barely perceptibly._

"_What?" The demon turned round, but wasn't quick enough to get out of the way of the blast of psychic energy that hit her right in the chest. She fell back against Sam, who grunted under the sudden weight._

Sorry…

_A pale, indistinct form was flickering just behind where the demon had stood. Sam could just about make out red hair that swirled around a slender body. He wasn't able to make out much more, though, as he found himself with a biting, clawing, and scratching demon in his arms – and he was having a few problems with keeping her down._

_Ignoring the illusion of the woman, Sam closed his hands around the demon's arm, and squeezed. He felt a slight twinge in his left arm even as the demon let out a horrifying screech. Sam felt the ichor on his skin, and grimaced slightly, but kept a tight hold of the demon. "Don't move," he whispered, his tone stern._

"_Are you going to kill me?" The demon's tone was flat and unfriendly. "Well go ahead, then. It's what you do best, right?" She abruptly stopped struggling._

_Sam blinked, staring down at the demon. _What…?_ "Well… It's not like I can let you live. Look at how many people you've killed…"_

"_What!" The demon stared up at him, looking about ready to start struggling again… Then, she just relaxed. "Where are you getting _that_ from? I don't kill humans. I don't _need_ to. But me and the others of my kind need to feed – and that's _all_ I do. You might as well attack humans. You kill animals, and not just for food, either. So why don't we have just as much right to live?"_

_Sam shook his head in disbelief. "What? You're telling me that there are _good_ demons around?" _I don't believe it… It's gotta be some kind of trick.

"_Haven't you ever seen Buffy? Or Angel?" The demon closed her eyes for a moment._

"_You tried to kill me."_

"_No, I didn't." The demon stared up at the sky of her dream forest. "I just tried to play your memories so that I could feed. I'm surviving. It's what we do best."_

"_What brings you here?" Sam asked. He didn't loosen his hold on the demon – even though something told him that she wasn't a threat any longer._

"_My mother," the demon answered, sounding a bit distant. "She created a blood bond with the ancestor of someone living here now. Of course… Now she's dead. Killed by a hunter – just like you."_

"_So you've been drawing hunters here and killing them as vengeance?" Sam attempted to understand, to emphasise with the demon, and found it easier than he had thought. His mother, his girlfriend – both had been killed by a demon._

_The demon twisted her head round to look up at Sam. "Of course not! I already _told_ you, I don't kill. It's a Somnus-Nex that's doing it."_

"_Sleep-death." Sam loosened his grip on the Vereor demon, but she didn't attempt to get up. It seemed like she was resigned to being killed._

Or she could just be trying to catch me off-guard so that she can attack me…

_Sam was dimly aware of Melissa's spirit hovering nearby, but he couldn't risk glancing up to check on how she was doing. "Do you know who at the hospital is working for the demon? Is it Jody?"_

"_No," the demon said._

"_No?" Sam frowned. "To what?"_

"_To both. I don't know who it is, but I know that it isn't Jody." The demon continued to stare at the sky, almost as though trying to imprint the surroundings onto her mind. "She's an innocent here. She should never have been caught up in the goings-on at the hospital." She spoke softly, but with conviction._

_Sam hesitated, somehow getting the feeling that he wasn't going to get much more out of the demon. "What's your name?" he asked finally._

"_Huh?" The demon tried to look into his eyes. "It's Kris…"_

"_Well, Kris…" Sam removed his hands. "I'll let you go – but you'd better not let me see you again." It seemed like it was the right thing to do._

_Kris stared at him for a moment, and then sat up, but slowly, as if expecting some kind of trick. "You're just going to let me go?"_

_Sam nodded._

_Kris still looked confused, but apparently decided not to question that – presumably just in case Sam decided to change his mind. "There's something else," she said. "Generally, people can't remember anything when they wake up from a confrontation with one of us. I can change that – but you can only remember one thing from here. What's it going to be?"_

_Sam hesitated – but there was really only one choice he could make. "I want to remember about the Somnus-Nex demon." _Sorry, Jody… I guess I'll have to rediscover your innocence another way._ "What about Melissa?" he asked._

"_Spirits are very unpredictable with this," Kris replied. "She probably won't be able to remember _anything_. And you're going to wake up now."_

* * *

"You two can sit up the front," Dean said to Sam and Jessica, smiling in what he hoped was an innocent way.

Apparently, it didn't work, since Sam eyed his brother with obvious concern. "You feeling all right, Dean? You _always_ want to sit up front."

"Hell, yeah – I'm fine." Dean smiled, and casually draped his arm around Amber's shoulders. "I just want to be able to spend a bit of time with my girlfriend doing – you know. Stuff." Neither he nor Amber had got much sleep during the night, and it definitely showed on Amber – with the dark circles under her eyes and the way she was almost stumbling with every step.

Sam looked rather disgusted. "I so did _not_ want to know that."

Dean winked, enjoying the opportunity to rile his brother – even a different version of Sam. "Shouldn't ask if you don't want to know, Sammy." Whistling innocently, he all but shoved Amber into the backseat, and got in himself, making sure to put his backpack in the middle of them.

Where the demon would have no problem whatsoever in seeing it.

_You'd better behave,_ Dean thought, wishing that he dared to say it out loud. But the last thing he wanted was for Sam and Jessica to think he was nuts. Not that they probably didn't anyway, but…

_This is really not fun…_

Sam continued to stare at his brother for a moment. Then, he gave a slight shrug, and got in the driver's seat. Jessica got in as well, after casting a wary glance at Dean.

Dean sighed, and raked a hand through his hair. _Why me?_ he wondered. _I'm not too good at doing this. And what about Amber? I'm pretty sure she wants me to tell her that it's gonna be all right – but I can't do that. Because I can't lie about it – and I can't see any way out of this that _won't_ end with someone dead…_

Dean stared out of the window as Sam put the car into gear. He struggled inwardly with his thoughts as they started moving.

After a moment, Dean felt a hand creep into his, and he glanced a moment towards Amber, who wasn't looking at him. Glancing down at their hands, Dean lightly squeezed hers, but didn't attempt to say any words of comfort.

There were none.

* * *

It was mid-evening by the time they finally got to Kansas. Sam parked the car right outside, and Dean just stared up at the building, his hand tightening on Amber's without him even realising it.

"Ow…"

"Sorry." Dean let go of Amber's hand. He'd tried doing that a number of times during the journey, but Amber had kept a tight grip on it – even when she'd drifted off into sleep. Now, though, she didn't try to keep hold of him.

Sam and Jessica got out of the car, and, after grabbing the backpack, Dean did so as well. He headed to the other side of the Impala, and opened the door for Amber, avoiding looking into her eyes.

He didn't want to see the hopelessness there…

Besides, Dean's attention was then drawn to the woman who had just opened the door. For a long moment, he just stood there, feeling all sorts of feelings rushing through him.

"Mom…"

This was different to what had happened when he and Sam had come back here after his brother's dream. Mother and oldest son stared into each other's eyes, and Dean fought down the urge to rush over to her and cling – just like a kid who'd had a nightmare. He wanted to do so – but his body wouldn't obey him. All he could do was just stand there, despite his strong desire to hug his mother.

"Dean." And Mary was moving, enfolding her oldest son in a loving hug.

Dean viciously fought down the tears that threatened to choke him, and fiercely returned the hug. Maybe Mary felt that he needed this, because she held him for a little while before turning to hug her youngest son.

"Are you crying?" Amber was watching Dean with what looked like fascination.

Dean quickly wiped the back of his hand across his eyes. "Nah… Allergies." He did his best to calm down – but Amber seemed to find his reaction slightly interesting anyway, if a little confusing.

"Hey, champ."

Dean turned to look at his father, pretty sure that he was showing no sign of the emotions that had just rushed through him. He took a step forward, and was pulled into a tight hug.

_Mom and Dad are alive and well here… Why would I try to kill myself in this world?_

Dean was finally released from his Dad's hug, and turned in time to see Amber stiffen slightly as Mary hugged her. The woman was probably worried that the demon would try and come out. But Dean was pretty sure it wouldn't.

_It doesn't have a strong enough hold yet…_

Trying to push his too-strong emotions down, Dean headed over to the car, and opened the boot to start taking some of the bags out. "Hey… A little help here," he addressed Sam. "You'd think that we were spending a year here with the amount of things the girls have packed."

"Girls just seem to need a lot of stuff." Sam shrugged, and walked over to grab one of the bags. John came over to help, while Mary herded Jessica and Amber inside, talking softly to them.

"So, boys… Anything new happening?" John asked as they closed the boot and carried the bags into the house.

Dean fought down the urge to reply something about how he had somehow ended up in a parallel world, and merely shrugged. As they headed upstairs with the bags, he risked a peek into the living room, and saw the women talking and laughing together. But there was still a certain tenseness to Amber that didn't seem even close to being relaxed.

_I know that she didn't ask for any of this,_ Dean thought. _But then… Neither did I. I just hope that I can get us all through this without _too_ many problems._

* * *

Later that evening, Amber sat perched on the edge of the bed, watching Dean with what looked like nervousness.

Dean, meanwhile, was trying to decide whether or not to do a circle of salt around Amber again. The demon had been suspiciously quiet – but Amber had been pretty subdued for the entire meal and conversation afterwards.

"I wish Brownie was here…" Amber said suddenly.

"I already said that I _refuse_ to have a dog in the car with us," Dean replied automatically. "Besides… You got one of your friends to agree to feed him and take him for walks, right?"

"It's not the same…"

Dean sighed, and set the bottle of holy water and salt shaker down on the side. He then sat down next to Amber on the bed. _It should be Sam here in this situation and not me… I'm not so good at being all sensitive and whatever._ "Look, I can't pretend to know what you're going through," he tried. "But, honestly? I think you're handling it a lot better than some people would be…" _Ok, that sorta came out wrong…_

Amber shook her head slightly. "The only other choice here is to lose my mind… And I'm not quite that far gone yet."

"Apparently." Dean fell silent for a moment, trying to think of what else to say.

"Dean?" Amber asked then. "If you – you know – met the version of me in your world… Do you think that we'd ever get together?" She made a slight face. "I mean… We got together _here_… Well, not _we_ – but another version of you…" Her voice trailed off. "Um… Sorry. That's not making much sense."

"No… I think I get it." Dean tilted his head back to stare up at the ceiling a moment. "But I really don't know. The situation here is probably different to the situation in my world – I think that circumstances have made us different. So… It's possible. But I think it would be very unlikely."

"What about now?" Amber asked, a little hesitantly. "How do you feel now? Are you attracted to me at all?"

Dean opened his mouth, and then closed it again. _What am I supposed to say?_ he wondered. _I don't really want to get into my feelings right now. But…_ Well, Dean felt at least partly responsible for what had happened. _So maybe… I owe her an answer, at least…_ "I think that, if we weren't in this situation… you'd have to fend me off with a big stick." He smiled slightly.

Amber glanced away a moment. "Oh…" She didn't say anything more, though, and simply leaned lightly against Dean's shoulder, closing her eyes.

Dean turned his gaze towards the window, already planning what he was going to say to Missouri when he saw her the next day.


	18. Chapter 18

**Coma**

**Chapter Eighteen**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Supernatural, and I'm not making any money from this fic. Any character you don't recognise from the show, I probably own. Anything you recognise from another fandom, I don't own

**Warning(s):** Some violence; mild swearing; spoilers up to and including episode ten

**Author's Note:** Once again, thank you to all of those who have taken the time to read this fic and to let me know what they think – it's always nice to get feedback. Don't be afraid to give constructive criticism, either. If I don't know that something doesn't work, I'm not going to be able to change it .

And in regards to the comment about the fic being confusing – well, hopefully it'll make sense the further on you read

* * *

John stood next to Dean's bed, looking down at his oldest son and wishing that he knew what to do to wake him up. He'd tried everything that he could think of, medicinal as well as supernatural. Not one thing had worked.

John had the intense desire to go and punch something – preferably a brick wall – until his knuckles bled, and the pain and despair were numbed. The only thing that kept him from doing so was the thought that Dean needed his father to be strong – not lose him to his own anger and grief.

_Damn it…_ He shook his head from side to side, trying with everything he had not to lose hope. But it was so difficult… Not even pumping Dean's stomach to get rid of the sleeping pills and alcohol had worked. Dean was stuck in a coma, and John had no idea of how to wake him up.

Yet again, John was hit with the desire to go to his youngest son and do what he could to help Sammy. The only things that stopped him from doing so were the words he had spoken to Missouri.

He couldn't see his boys – not yet, at least. Couldn't talk to them. All he could do was leave them trails, co-ordinates.

And, even though it killed him to be apart from them, he knew that was the way it had to be.

John sat on the chair next to Dean's bed, and took his son's cold, pale hand. "What's happening to you, Dean? Is this life so horrible that you'd rather stay in a dream world than wake up and carry on? Sam needs you, you know." He leaned over to gently touch his lips to Dean's forehead, something that he definitely wouldn't have got away with if Dean were conscious.

_Not very professional behaviour for someone supposed to be a doctor… But I don't care._

John leaned back slightly, watching Dean's pale face for any signs of life. "What are you dreaming about, champ? Knowing you, it probably has a load of beautiful girls in it." Even despite the situation, he was revelling in the close proximity to his son – so close that he was able to reach out and touch Dean.

_I would like to have more moments like this – with _both_ of my sons. Maybe some day – when the demon is finally destroyed – we will be able to work at being a family again._

Of course, just because he wasn't going to reveal himself to his sons, it didn't mean that John Winchester didn't know what was going on with them. Even if he didn't return their calls, that didn't mean he never listened to them. That he wouldn't come running the moment he felt that one or both of them were in danger.

If only he could let them know how much he cared, how much he wished that he could be with them…

John was startled out of his reverie by the door being quietly opened. He let go of Dean's hand and was on his feet even before it registered that he didn't have any kind of weapon on him.

It didn't matter anyway. The person who was coming into the room was the volunteer he had met when first coming into the hospital – Jody. She paused as she spotted him, and slipped whatever she'd been holding in her hands behind her back. "Oh… I'm sorry. I didn't realise anyone was here."

It took a moment or two for John to regain his composure and be able to talk without worrying about his voice trembling. "It's all right," he said, attempting a smile. "I just came in to check on Dean."

Jody nodded. "How is he?" she asked.

"Not much better," John admitted. "He had his stomach pumped, but – as you can see – he's still not woken up. Where's his brother? I haven't seen him around."

Jody blinked, looking a bit taken aback by the question. "Um… He's, er… Trying to find a way of getting Dean awake, I guess…"

John nodded, wanting to ask Jody if Sam had any idea what might have caused the coma. However, it was possible that the question might make her suspicious. If she had any idea of the existence of the supernatural, she was hardly likely to tell him. And, if she didn't, she might freak out if he mentioned something about it.

"What brings you here today?" he asked, trying to make things a bit less awkward. "Do you have a shift?"

"Huh?" Jody shook her head. "No… I just wanted to get something tested by one of the people working here. I figured that I might as well come in and see how Dean was doing while I was here."

"Would that happen to have anything to do with what you're hiding behind your back?"

Before Jody could make any kind of response, the door opened behind her. John watched with mild interest as she jerked, and then quickly spun round, holding the item – which he could now see was a milk bottle – behind her back. To his eyes, she looked like she was ready to go to any lengths in order to protect the bottle.

Jody seemed to relax slightly, though, as Doctor Nelson came through the door. He paused as he saw his niece. "Jody, what are you doing here? It's not your shift, and…" He hesitated, as if uncertain whether or not to continue.

"Um…" Jody seemed a little lost for words, and the very fact that she was holding the bottle of milk behind her back made it quite clear that she didn't want to tell her uncle the _real_ reason for her being at the hospital.

_Let's hope I don't regret this…_ John moved up beside Jody. "I gave her a call and asked her to come down," he said smoothly. "There are a few things I need to clear up with her."

"I see." Doctor Nelson glanced at John for a moment, and then turned his attention back to Jody. "I tried giving you a call, but you weren't in – Dean's brother answered the phone." He paused, then continued, "I'm afraid that there isn't an easy way of telling you this, but… Your friend – Min-Li – is dead."

Jody's reaction was barely perceptible. If John had been any less observant, he wouldn't have noticed the way she tensed up at Doctor Nelson's words. Certainly, the doctor didn't seem to have noticed.

"I… know…" Jody's voice sounded almost strangled, and she was clenching her hands a little on the milk bottle.

Feeling concerned about Jody possibly dropping the bottle or something, John stood by, ready to catch it if need be. It seemed to be important, in some way. _Perhaps it has something in it that's _not_ milk?_

Jody took a deep breath, and made an obvious attempt to calm down. "I mean, someone let me know. Have her family been told? How did she die?"

"The autopsy was inconclusive," Doctor Nelson answered. "And, yes, her family has been notified. I thought that you might need a couple of days off work."

"It won't take long," John said, before Jody could make any kind of response. "I'm finished with my tests, anyway. I haven't found anything." He nodded to Jody. "Lead the way, please." _I'm interested in knowing what she might have found._

* * *

Sam opened his eyes, and glanced around in slight confusion for a moment. It took him a little while to realise that the two women leaning over him were Missouri – who looked rather worried – and Amber, who looked pretty calm.

Sam blinked a few times, and then frowned a little. "Huh… That's weird." Much as he tried to remember what had happened while he'd been asleep, only one thing stuck in his mind.

_Somnus-Nex demon…_

"Are you all right?" Missouri asked, her eyes showing clear concern. "What happened?"

"I'm ok. I think…" Sam struggled into a sitting position, and immediately wished that he hadn't. A wave of nausea went through him, and it took everything he had not to throw up. "I don't really remember what happened…"

"Why not?" Missouri watched him closely. "Do you mean that you didn't find anything out?" As she spoke, she moved forward, and placed a hand against Sam's forehead, as if checking for a temperature.

"I'm fine…" Sam moved his head back slightly. "As for what happened? I'm not exactly sure… All I remember is a demon – Somnus-Nex."

"Sleep-Death?" Missouri frowned. "Have you heard of that kind of demon before?"

Sam shook his head. "I don't believe so… Then again, I think there are a lot of demons I've not heard of before. I'll have to do plenty of research before I can try to exorcise it." _What else is there? Something important… But I can't remember._

"Demons?" Amber looked between Sam and Missouri, her face rather pale. "What do you mean, demons? I didn't know they existed!"

Sam blinked, and narrowed his eyes slightly at Amber. _She sounds scared, which I probably shouldn't find good. But… it is. She's giving a reaction to what's going on._ Which reminded him that there was a promise he'd made to Melissa… Or, rather, a request that she'd made of him.

"Did you find anything else out?" Missouri asked, still looking worried.

Sam shook his head, and put a hand to his forehead. "I don't _think_ so…" That didn't sound right, though.

"Well, you should just sit there for a few moments and rest," Missouri said in a decisive tone. "I'll go and see what I can find out for you." With that, she simply left the room.

Sam blinked, watching the woman leave as his tired mind tried to wrap itself around what had just happened. _I'm sure I shouldn't be feeling _this_ worn out… I don't remember doing anything really complicated._ Oh, well – he was on his own with Amber – well, unless Melissa was nearby. In any case, he should probably talk to the woman about letting her sister move on once all of this was over.

Sam sat up, and patted the seat next to him. "Come sit down." When Amber did, he thought for a moment, and then asked, "When did you first start keeping your sister's spirit around?" _It may not be the right choice of words, but I have to start this conversation in some way._

Amber frowned slightly, and bit her lip. "What do you mean? I'm not keeping her anywhere. She _wants_ to stay with me."

Sam could see the slight look of panic in Amber's eyes, though. _She probably doesn't want to hear this…_ Sam gave a slight sigh. "Look… I get that you miss your sister. But this? It's not healthy. She needs to be able to move on, and you have to let her go."

Amber shook her head frantically. "I _can't_!"

"Sure you can," Sam replied, smiling reassuringly. "I know it's not easy – but it's very important that you do." He looked into Amber's eyes. "Please. You have to know that all you're doing is hurting your sister by not allowing her to move on." _But if I had the chance to hold Jessica, to keep her with me… I can't honestly say what I would do._ And that thought almost scared him…

Amber stared at the floor, but Sam could still see the tears glistening in her eyes, and the look of hopelessness on her face.

* * *

"But why do you want me to come with you?" Amber demanded yet again as she stood just beside Dean on the steps leading up to Missouri's house.

Dean gave a sigh. "Because I'm hoping that she'll be able to help with your… problem," he explained. "And I figured that she would probably have to _see_ you to be able to understand the situation fully." He couldn't help remembering Missouri's words when he and Sam had spoken to her last time. _She can't pick facts out of the air… So I'm bringing Amber straight to her,_ he thought grimly.

"I wanted to talk to your Mom a bit, though…"

_Talk to someone 'normal', you mean._ "Well, we won't be leaving until the day after tomorrow, at the earliest," Dean replied. "You'll get a chance to talk to her later; I promise."

"I hope you're right…" Amber folded her arms across her chest, and then removed them to stare at her stomach, almost as though trying to see inside her own body and find the demon that was residing there. "It's like a cancer…"

"Yeah," Dean agreed, glancing at her. "I'm sorry."

Amber glanced at him, looking surprised for a moment. Then, she shrugged. "It's not really entirely your fault…" She sighed. "It doesn't even _feel_ like there's anything there most of the time, you know? I still feel… normal. But just when I think I've been able to forget about it… That's when it stirs. That's when I feel it moving around. And it's _inside_ me!" She looked pale, and was shaking slightly.

_Please don't cry._ Dean immediately turned from the door to place a hand on Amber's arm. "It's all right. It's going to be all right. I'm not gonna let it get you – you hear me?"

Of course, it was at that moment Missouri chose to open the door. She regarded Amber and Dean with apparently no surprise, and stood back to let them enter the house. "You certainly took your time getting here."

"Sorry, ma'am." Dean took Amber's arm, and led the young woman into the house. He was fully aware that this Missouri might not be exactly the same as the Missouri in his world, so he decided that it was better to be polite.

"Don't call me ma'am; I do have a name, you know." Missouri closed the door, and then turned to Dean and Amber. "Well? Aren't you going to sit down? There's some coffee in the living room. And, no – there's no beer," she added, before Dean could even open his mouth. She then headed into the kitchen, calling back over her shoulder, "I'm just going to get the cookies. You two make yourselves comfortable – but don't put your feet up on my clean coffee table."

"Cookies?" Dean muttered, as he herded Amber into the living room. "What are we, five?" He sat down on the sofa, and pulled Amber down next to him.

As Missouri came in with the plate of cookies, she gave Dean a level stare. "Do you want me to help you or not?" Without waiting for an answer, she sat down – putting the plate on the table – and asked, "So… What brings the two of you here?"

"Can't you tell?"

"Of course I can – but I generally find that it puts people more at ease if I let them explain in their own words." Missouri then reached across to gently take Amber's hand. "Oh, honey… You shouldn't be so fearful of the supernatural. After all, you've got a hunter here to protect you."

"Why am I here?" Dean asked, before Amber could respond. "In this world, I mean. I can theorise, but I don't know the real reason. And how do I get back?"

Missouri looked searchingly into Dean's eyes for a moment. Then, she turned to Amber. "I need you to get me a book from upstairs," she said. "It's a journal, and it should be on the bookcase in my study up there. You'll know which one I mean."

Amber glanced at Dean, and then nodded. She must have had some idea that Missouri was getting her out of the way deliberately, but she didn't argue, and instead stood up and headed out of the room.

Once she was gone, Missouri turned her attention back to Dean, her expression rather grave. "I cannot tell you how to return to your own world. When a gateway has been weakened once, it's very difficult to know how to open it again. But what I _can_ tell you is that the demon inside your friend is growing stronger."

"I know," Dean replied.

Missouri shook her head. "I don't think that you _do_ know. Not completely. Do you know what _type_ of demon is inside her?"

"A demon is a demon," Dean answered. "I promise you – I _will_ kill it."

"The vial you wear around your neck – it will give the demon the power to take full control."

"I _know_ that!" Dean snapped, feeling annoyed. _If all Missouri's going to do is tell me what I already know, then I might as well not have come._

"Be patient," Missouri warned. "I don't _have_ to help you, after all." For a moment, she glanced towards the door of the room. Then, "There are things that you don't know. In nature, there are certain bugs which lay eggs inside a host. Once the eggs hatch, they then devour the host from the inside. As the demon gets stronger… Amber will be completely destroyed."

"Then what? There's nothing I can do?" Dean demanded. _I see why Missouri sent Amber out of the room… Knowing this would make her feel even worse._

"Use the vial," Missouri explained. "You don't have to tell her what you're doing – simply mix the elixir in with her drink. Once the demon has had its first kill – you will be able to exorcise it."

"I will _not_ sacrifice someone to the demon."

"You don't listen very well, Dean Winchester," Missouri scolded. "It doesn't have to be a person – an animal will work just as well, if you can make the demon angry and out of control enough to kill it."

_An animal?_ Dean pulled the vial out from under his jacket to stare at it. _If it's possible… I'd rather have an animal killed than Amber – or anyone else – any day. And as for angry and out of control? Well, that's my speciality._

Before Dean could say anything else, Missouri held up her hand as Amber came back into the room. "Thank you." Missouri took the journal from her. "Let's see what we can find in here…"

* * *

Dean took the bottle of milk out of the fridge, and stared at it for a moment. _I hope that this works…_ He poured some of the milk into a glass, and then removed the vial from around his neck.

"So… you've made your choice."

Dean glanced up quickly, and then narrowed his eyes as he saw Meg again. "What are _you_ doing here?" he demanded in an unfriendly tone.

Meg shrugged, and smiled sweetly. "That's not a very nice way to greet me. And after everything I've done for you." She pouted.

"Yeah, right," Dean muttered. He glanced towards the set of knives, half-considering grabbing one and stabbing Meg in the heart with it. But he didn't know the whole situation right now, nor what her death would be the catalyst for.

Meg smirked. Then, she was simply gone, and Dean saw Mary standing in the doorway. "Mom…"

"Hey," Mary said, smiling a little. "I came down to get a drink. Are you all right?"

"Yeah…" Dean replied. "Amber wanted some milk, so I came down to get some for her." He turned slightly, and carefully poured the contents of the vial into the liquid. He noticed – with some relief – that there didn't appear to be anything different. He'd wondered if the elixir would be really noticeable.

"That's nice," Mary responded. "And it's good to see you looking better. Last time I saw you, you seemed rather unhappy."

Dean wondered about asking further, but then glanced down at the glass of milk. _I have to do this…_ "Well, things have changed. Anyway, it would be a good idea if you made sure to stay inside the room tonight. Amber's been having nightmares – she's been sleepwalking – and I don't want to risk anything happening." The lie tripped easily off his tongue.

Mary looked confused. "Um… All right."

"Great." Dean picked up the glass of milk, and then turned to head up the stairs, already working through his plan in his mind.


	19. Chapter 19

**Coma**

**Chapter Nineteen**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Supernatural, and I'm not making any money from this fic. Any character you don't recognise from the show, I probably own. The plot of this story also belongs to me

**Warning(s):** Strong violence; spoilers up to episode ten of season one at least; some mild swearing

**Author's Note:** As always, thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this fic. It's really amazing to see how many hits this fic has got so far – and how many reviews, how many people have it on Favourites, etc. Without a doubt, each review is extremely supportive, because it's always difficult to write something if it seems like no one actually likes it.

Also, I just thought I'd make a comment here. When reading this fic, it will probably not make much sense if you miss out a chapter, or if you just read the first chapter and then nothing else. (Well, unless you don't like it – in which case, feel free to only read the first chapter).

Ok, I'm done rambling… Let's move on to the next chapter.

* * *

Sam bit his lip, frowning to himself as he stared at the newspaper article on the computer screen. He couldn't stop staring at it. _I know it _seems_ like Jody's the one working with the demon, but… I don't know._ He didn't really want to believe that she was sending people – hunters of the supernatural – to their deaths.

But it seemed like there was no other possibility.

Sam put his head in his hands, and sighed. _I should have got her cell phone number,_ he thought. Then again, he'd had a lot on his mind during the past few days. He could hardly be blamed for not thinking totally logically. _Has it only been a few days? It feels like months, at least._

Finally, Sam closed down the article again. Despite the fact that he had woken up only a little while ago, he still felt really tired. _Whatever happened while I dreamed, it must have worn me out in some way._

Either that or he simply hadn't got enough sleep.

_I_ really_ wish that Dean was here,_ Sam thought as he stood up. _I know that wishing doesn't do any good, but… He's my brother. I can't handle what's happening to him, and it's even worse knowing that it's my fault._

Not to mention that he was feeling so lonely right about now…

_Dad hasn't even called… I wouldn't expect him to come if something happened to _me_, but Dean's his perfect son. Always the good soldier. Definitely not like me._

"You shouldn't be thinking like that," Missouri spoke up from behind him.

Sam turned round to see the psychic standing in the doorway. "Why not?" he asked, feeling weary. "It's true." He was beginning to lose hope, and just wished for a way out of the situation. "Dad clearly doesn't care about anything that's been happening – not to me, not to Dean. You'd think that I would have figured that out by now." His words might not be very fair – but he wasn't really concerned with that.

"Don't try to judge your father," Missouri answered. "He's been doing what he thinks is best, and that's all."

"Whatever," Sam muttered, turning away. Truthfully, he didn't think that his father cared at all. Not about anything. Well, anything except for killing that demon.

_I guess I can't blame him so much now, though… _I_ want to see that son of a bitch destroyed._

"Don't cuss," Missouri said reflexively. "And, sweetie, I know how much you're hurting inside. But you have to understand that your Dad's going through a lot as well. And, yeah – he _should_ be with his boys. But if he's not, there's a good reason for it."

"Yeah, like he's too involved in his case to care about his sons!" Sam's emotions were coming to the surface, despite his best efforts. It seemed like everything was coming to a head.

_I_ need_ my brother…_

Missouri nodded, her expression showing her sympathy. "It's only natural that you should feel like that. After all, Dean took care of you – did all that he could to protect you…"

"And look at how I repaid him. He feels like I abandoned him – even though he won't admit it. I _shot_ him, first with rock salt and then with a regular bullet. His body's in hospital while his soul's stuck in some parallel world. For all I know, he could be suffering greatly, and _it's my fault_!"

Missouri just watched Sam, not saying anything. She probably knew that there was nothing to say that would alleviate how Sam was feeling. However, she then stepped forward, and hugged Sam gently.

Sam returned the hug, hardly aware of how much he needed it. Of course, it wasn't as effective as having his brother back.

But nothing would be like that.

Missouri held Sam for a few moments longer, and then released him. "You'll get Dean back, I promise. Your brother can take care of himself."

Sam nodded, wishing that he could be so sure. He knew that Dean would scold him for losing hope – but it was difficult to keep holding on. He did make an effort to pull his thoughts away from his guilt, though. "Did you manage to find out anything about the Somnus-Nex demon?" he asked.

Missouri shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Sam. I'm sorry – it seems that this demon isn't a well-known one. Do you remember anything else about what happened while you were asleep?"

Sam gave a sigh. "Unfortunately, no," he admitted. "I don't know why." _I suppose that would be another thing I've forgotten…_ "I'm sure I would have attempted to get any possible information out of the Vereor demon, but…" His voice trailed off, and he shrugged slightly. "Maybe the demon made me forget deliberately."

"But then surely you wouldn't remember _anything_? You can remember the name of another demon…"

"Which doesn't exactly help a lot." Sam paused, and then glanced towards the door of the study as his ears caught the sound of someone coming through the front door. "Jody." It wasn't like there was anyone else who'd be coming through the door.

And Amber was in the spare room right now.

Missouri glanced towards the door as well, and then nodded. "Yes." She frowned. "Her mind's still clouded. You need to be _very_ careful if you're going to confront her at all."

"I know," Sam replied. He moved past Missouri, and headed out of the door and down the stairs.

Jody paused in front of the door after closing it behind her. "Oh… Hello," she said. In her hands, there was a bottle of milk. "Sorry… I didn't think you'd still be up." She glanced at her watch. "It's late…"

"Yes, I know." Sam watched her with a grim expression. "Did you think that you could just sneak in and not explain yourself at all? Where were you?" _So much for being careful about what I say to her…_

"I was at the hospital," Jody answered. "There was something I had to… check out."

"For this _entire_ time?" Sam didn't really believe her. "What were you checking out?" _And what's with the bottle of milk?_

"I don't know." Jody sighed. "I need to… put this milk away. I'll label it – it's not supposed to be drunk." She glanced away a moment, and then started walking towards the kitchen.

As Jody walked past him, Sam reached out to grasp her shoulders to stop her. Jody hesitated, looking up at him. "You should tell me what's going on with you." Sam made an effort to keep his tone calm, but wasn't succeeding too well. "I can help," he continued. "I can help… But you have to trust me."

Jody stared into his eyes for a moment, and then looked away. She opened her mouth, but then closed it again, and gave a slight shake of her head. "Nothing's going on with me. I'm just worried about what's been happening."

_Liar._ Sam let go of the woman's shoulders, though. Truth to tell, he had no proof that Jody was involved with the demon – not yet, at least. But she was certainly acting suspiciously.

_If she knows something, why isn't she telling me?_

Jody's shoulders slumped as she all but crept past Sam. "I'll put this away, and then I'll go up to bed," she mumbled, even as she headed into the kitchen.

Sam walked towards the kitchen as well, and stood in the doorway. "You know… It's my brother who's in the coma, who is probably going to be the demon's next victim. I really _don't_ appreciate you keeping things from me!" Despite his best efforts, his voice rose, until he was almost shouting.

Jody flinched. "I'm not keeping anything from you." She found a black marker in one of the drawers, and wrote on the bottle of milk before putting it in the fridge.

"And I don't believe you," Sam stated. "So where does that leave us? I swear, if you do anything that puts my brother in danger – we're going to have real problems."

Jody all but slammed the fridge door shut, and narrowed her eyes at Sam. "I'm not trying to do anything to put Dean in danger! What I'm _trying_ to do is what I can to sort everything out! But _now_, I'm going to go upstairs and sleep." She walked over to the kitchen door, and then paused in front of Sam. "Please can I get past?"

He didn't move out of her way, just watched her intently. "If you're not hiding anything, then what's with the whole not telling me what's going on?"

"I can't deal with this." Jody looked worn out. "I'm sorry; I don't even know what I'm looking for myself, so how can I tell you?"

"You do realise that that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, don't you?"

Jody shrugged, staying quiet, and just waited. With a sigh, Sam moved back out of the way. "You'll have to talk sooner or later."

"Sure…" Jody walked past Sam, and headed towards the stairs. "But can we make it later?" she said back over her shoulder.

"Whatever." Sam sighed heavily. After a few moments, he became aware of someone standing behind him. He knew instinctively that it was Missouri, and spoke up without turning round: "I guess I blew it, huh?"

"You could have handled it better," Missouri answered.

"Seems like I'm losing all sense when it comes to my brother." Sam shrugged, not really caring. He turned round to look at Missouri. _I need him with me… I can't do this alone. I never could._ He didn't say it out loud, but he was pretty sure that Missouri understood how he was feeling.

Missouri nodded. "I know."

Sam took a deep breath, and started in the direction of the living room. "I'm gonna go get some rest as well. Then, when I wake up in the morning, I'm going to tear apart heaven and hell looking for a way to get my brother back."

* * *

"Hey."

Amber glanced up at Dean. "Oh… Hi. What were you doing? You were gone a little while." She made a slight face. "Not that you have to tell me everything, of course…"

Dean shrugged. "I talked to Mom a bit." Of course, he wasn't going to mention the _other_ thing he had done. "Anyway… I brought your milk up," he added, holding the glass out to her. _I'm not totally sure that this is a good idea… But doing this would be preferable to having the demon 'burst' out of her._ Even so, a part of Dean hoped that Amber would have changed her mind about wanting the drink.

No such luck, though. Amber smiled, and reached for the glass. "Thanks."

Still holding onto the other side of the glass, Dean leaned forward, and briefly kissed Amber on the lips. _If this whole thing doesn't work, then I won't get another chance to do this._

Amber blinked, her expression confused, as Dean pulled away. "I thought we weren't doing that…?" She didn't look too unhappy with it, though.

Dean shrugged. "Just… have a drink," he replied, choosing not to make any comment to what Amber had said. _If this works, she's probably gonna hate me._ He sat down on the edge of the bed, hand tight around the salt shaker in his pocket. He then checked in the holster attached to his belt.

_Good… The gun's there._

"Are you all right?"

Dean glanced at Amber. "Huh? Yeah… I'm fine. Are you… going to…?" He made a gesture that was supposed to signify drinking. "Go ahead. It's not like it's poisoned or anything." _No, it only has the black elixir mixed in._

"I know…" Amber tipped up the glass, and drank the milk.

Dean immediately stood up, hand reaching for the dart gun. He knew that he wasn't going to get much chance to knock her out – he was going to have to react as quickly as possible. _How do I know when the demon's taken control of her?_ Maybe it would be better to shoot her with the dart gun _now_.

Amber closed her eyes for a moment, seemingly not noticing Dean's actions. For a moment, she just lay slumped against the pillows. Then, abruptly, she sat up straight and _screamed_.

In an instant, Dean had the gun drawn and aimed at Amber. The demon turned black eyes on him, and then let out an ear-splitting shriek. Dean's hand never wavered as he fired the dart gun. _Please let this work…_

The dart hit Amber in the chest. For a moment, she just looked surprised. Then, slowly, she toppled sideways off the bed.

Dean tucked the dart gun away again, and then picked up Amber's limp body. He carried her out of the room, hoping that no one would come out – even if they had heard the screaming. _Maybe they'll just think it was a nightmare or something._

* * *

When Amber finally came to, it was to feel something damp and squishy under her cheek. She was cold as well, and her mouth felt dry. Her head ached, and she felt nauseous. She tried to sit up, but, for some reason, her body wouldn't obey her.

"You're awake… Good," Dean's voice spoke from somewhere above her.

_Did he shoot me…?_ Amber again tried to sit up. However, although her brain seemed to be working all right, somehow the messages were getting lost before they reached the rest of her body.

However, Amber suddenly became aware of something moving around inside her. She felt a chill as she once again attempted to move anything – even her right little finger – and failed. _What's happening to me?_

To Amber's shock, an answer came: _Don't you know? Looks like someone got a little impatient with how long it was taking for me to take control of your body._ The words were accompanied by laughter which grated on Amber's mind. _The little hunter thinks that he'll be able to trick me into making my first kill and subsequently weaken myself. His confidence in himself really is sweet. Maybe I'll play with him a bit first._

_No no no no no._ All Amber could do was repeat the word over and over again, feeling dazed. This couldn't be happening. It was all just a bad dream. Any moment now, she was going to wake up next to her boyfriend, who'd listen to her and then laugh with her at how ridiculous the idea of demons was.

"What are you doing, Dean? Why are you doing this to me?" As the demon lifted her head, Amber could see that they appeared to be in a forest. Dean was standing in front of them, a grim look on his face, holding a small book in his hands.

"I know what you are," Dean replied. "And I also know that you're not Amber. I hope you can hear me," he continued, his eyes boring into Amber's. "I'm going to get you out of this. I promise."

_It's your fault I'm even _in_ this…_ Amber wasn't sure just where that feeling was coming from – but she was sure it was true. _He was so insistent about me drinking that milk… Why is he doing this to me?_ Despite the hopelessness of the situation, she struggled again against the demon's hold.

The demon laughed once more. _Fool. You're not going to get away from my grasp _that_ easily._ Even though the demon sounded pretty confident of its own ability and Amber's lack thereof, it kept a tight hold of Amber's soul.

For the moment, Amber stopped struggling. It clearly wasn't working, and, as hard as it was, she knew that she should probably trust Dean to help her. _He knows about this sort of stuff. Even if he _did_ instigate this, there must have been a reason for it…_

The demon must have heard Amber's thought, but it made no response. Instead, Amber heard it continue to speak to Dean. "Oh, well… I won't try to convince you otherwise, then. But if you think you'll be able to exorcise me… Well, you're about to get a very rude awakening, boy."

Dean smirked, not looking too bothered by the demon's words. "Well, let's just see about that, shall we?"

_Why are you just staying here?_ Amber wondered. Not that she was complaining about the demon not trying to attack Dean, of course.

_He's not totally stupid,_ the demon answered. _He did a chalk circle to hold me still here._

_Heh… I guess you're not smart yourself,_ Amber thought, trying not to degenerate into a crying, terrified mess.

What good would that do? Aside from being extremely therapeutic, of course.

The demon slowly pushed Amber's body upright. "Why don't we just forget about this whole business?" it asked sweetly. "I can do… so much for you. Why don't we just forget about this and do something together? I can be anything you want."

"Nah, you're not my type," Dean responded. He smirked. "I don't tend to go for big evil demons."

The demon shrugged. "That's your loss, then. You're not going to be able to get my guard down, though – so don't get your hopes up."

As the demon spoke, Amber could see that Dean was holding something under his jacket – something that seemed to be squirming slightly. The demon didn't seem to have noticed anything, though. Amber immediately started trying to concentrate on something else. _Hey… Is that the moon? How come I'm not having problems seeing this forest if it's night time right now?_

_Shut up,_ the demon ordered.

_I mean, I guess it's possible that it could be _you_ causing this,_ Amber continued, seeing a way to distract the demon from whatever Dean had planned. _But why would it affect me as well? Does this usually happen with people who have been possessed?_ Amber was just really saying whatever came into her mind, and not really thinking about it.

"Problems?" Dean asked, raising his eyebrows.

The demon decided to ignore Amber, and turned its attention back to Dean. "Why would there be problems?"

"Well, maybe there will be now." With that, Dean removed his hands from under his jacket, and hurled something at the demon. Amber saw a long, twisting body, and sharp fangs above a forked tongue.

The demon didn't try to get out of the snake's way. However, as the snake hit Amber in the arm, she felt some pain, and couldn't help gasping mentally.

Almost immediately, the demon smacked a hand at the snake, knocking it violently to the ground.

_What good does _that_ do?_

Amber wasn't sure whether the thought came from her or from the demon – but it wasn't like it really mattered. She then became aware that Dean was reading something in a language that she didn't recognise.

"What are you _doing_!" the demon demanded, panic obvious in its tone. Its eyes – and subsequently Amber's gaze – moved to the snake lying in the grass.

The snake that was no longer moving.

The demon's head jerked up, and it screeched as Dean continued to read. He didn't seem bothered by the demon's screaming at all. The demon stumbled back a few paces as the reading continued. "Stop it!"

Dean ignored the demon, and just continued reading. The demon itself was hit by a force that reverberated throughout Amber's body, enough to send her to her knees.

Amber was then hit by an intense heat that felt like she was burning up inside. She felt like something was being ripped from her, and she threw her head back to scream. Instead of sound, though, what came out was a black mist.

And then Amber slumped.

Dean immediately tucked the book away, and headed through the circle and towards Amber. "Hey… You ok?"

Amber opened her mouth to speak, and then had to lean forward to throw up.

"Yeah… I need to get you to the doctor." Dean helped Amber to her feet and slung her arm around his shoulder to support her. "That was the only snake I could find on that short notice. It won't kill you – but you'll probably feel sick for a little while." He helped her along the path in the direction of the Impala.


	20. Chapter 20

**Coma**

**Chapter Twenty**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Supernatural, and I'm not making any money from this fic. Any character you don't recognise from the show, I probably own. (Not that anyone else would want them)

**Warning(s):** Some violence; mild swearing; one part in particular might be quite upsetting to readers (you have been warned); spoilers up to and including episode ten at least

**Author's Note:** Again, thank you to those people who have read and reviewed this fic. In a way, it's easier to continue if I know that there are people who are enjoying reading this

* * *

Sam woke up with a slight wince. His neck was aching, probably from having been sleeping at a funny angle.

Sam sat up, wincing slightly. _My back hurts… Obviously, sleeping on a couch isn't _that_ comfortable._ Then again, he was used to sleeping on beds in motels – not on the couch at someone's house.

And certainly not the house of someone who was probably in cohorts with the demon.

Sam became aware of the fact that Amber was sitting in one of the armchairs, and he blinked a few times, trying to focus on her. "Hey… What's the time?" _How long have I been asleep for?_ He felt a bit out of it, almost like he had been asleep for too long.

"10am," Amber answered. "You've been asleep for an entire day." Rather unusually, her eyes looked almost… clear. She seemed more in control of herself than she had been. "I guess you were pretty tired," she continued. "I asked… um, Missouri, if I should wake you up, but she said to just let you sleep."

"Probably a good idea," Sam agreed, straightening up. "Has Jody gone out?" He then frowned, noticing that Amber was holding her arm with an almost pained look on her face. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure," Amber admitted. "I just felt this pain in my arm – like something bit me or whatever."

"Bit you? You mean like a mosquito bite?"

Amber shook her head. "I felt really sick earlier – and my arm doesn't itch, it just aches. And there's no mark. Thing is, I realised that the symptoms are consistent with the bite of a copperhead snake, but… Well, I think I would have noticed if I had been bitten by one."

Sam raised his eyebrows. "You know about snakes?" he asked, for some reason surprised. _Or maybe I'm just surprised that I'm having a more or less 'normal' conversation with someone who, only a couple of days ago, I would have said appears to have some kind of mental problem._ "Do you still feel sick?"

Amber shook her head, and then gave a slight frown. "I wouldn't say that I'm an _expert_ on snakes. I wrote a report on the copperhead a while back. It seems to be common more in Kansas, though…"

_Kansas? Hm… I wonder if there's an Amber in the parallel world that Dean's in._ Then again, if Amber _was_ connecting with her 'twin' in the parallel world – why was it happening? And why did no one else appear to be affected? _I suppose it could just be something totally different… But, right now, I'm hard-pressed to think of _what "Have you had anything else like that happen?"

Amber shrugged slightly. "Well, the other day, my neck hurt a bit. Also, I've been getting these feelings of déjà vu lately."

"Lately?" Sam repeated. "You mean… since you came here to Illinois?"

Amber nodded.

_Talk about weird coincidences…_

"Do you still need me around?" Amber asked, a little hesitantly. "I mean… you've spoken to Melissa. And it's not like you really need me here to interpret what she's saying for you. So… I'd like to go back to university. Please."

_I really shouldn't be surprised,_ Sam thought. _This _is_ what I talked to her about, after all. If she's happy to leave – and without the spirit of her sister – then that can only be a good thing._ "I don't want you to feel like you _have_ to leave," he said out loud. "If you'd prefer to stick around – well, I'm sure that I can find some way to use you." _But, if I'm honest, I guess she'd just get in the way._

Amber ducked her head slightly. "You don't need me. And, well, I don't really want to get involved in this. You can call me a coward if you want, but it's the way I feel."

Sam shook his head. "You're not a coward," he answered. "If you want to leave, you can. Do you need me to drive you down to the airport? When are you thinking of leaving?"

"I'm going to book the tickets today, to leave this evening," Amber replied. "And, well, I'll probably get a cab there. To be honest, I'd prefer it." Although her tone wasn't rude in any way, it was definitely firm.

_She's basically saying that she doesn't want to spend any more time with me than is absolutely necessary…_ "Ok," Sam said. "What made you…? I mean, what's changed?" _If that question even makes any sense…_

Amber shrugged slightly. "You brought up a good point, I guess," she answered. "I can't just keep my sister with me, no matter how much I want to. She's dead, and I guess it's about time I accepted that."

Sam nodded, understanding Amber's feelings. _I know how difficult it is to move on from the death of someone…_ He still wasn't really recovered from Jessica's death – that was proved by the nightmares he had constantly. _But what if Amber _is_ connecting to her 'twin' in the parallel world? She might be the only link I have to whether Dean's even alive or not…_ "Actually, I of course wouldn't want to keep you here against your will – but if you've been getting hurt or something, it would probably be better if you didn't travel just yet – just to be on the safe side."

Amber frowned, and Sam could almost see the little wheels turning over inside her mind. Finally, she replied, "If you think that I should stay, I will… But only for a little while."

"That's fine," Sam said. _She agreed quicker than I expected…_ He gave a sigh, and then headed towards the door of the living room. "I'd better go round to the library now. You just stay here and rest. And call me if anything else happens."

"Isn't there anything else I can do?" Amber asked.

Sam considered that for a moment. "Actually, there is. You can ask your sister if she's been keeping tabs on Jody at all. Give me a call and let me know if she's done anything even remotely suspicious. Missouri can let you know what my cell phone number is."

"Ok," Amber replied. "I hope you find the information that you're looking for." As soon as the words had left her mouth, she immediately looked a bit distant.

"Me too," Sam muttered as he left the living room and made his way slowly to the front door. Then, he paused, just as he was about to step on an envelope that was lying on the mat.

_Surely the post wouldn't have come _this_ early?_ Sam wondered, even as he bent down to pick it up.

The envelope was the only thing that had apparently come through the door. Sam turned it over, and narrowed his eyes slightly as he saw that the only thing written on the front was SAM WINCHESTER. The envelope itself was brown, and looked official.

_Who actually knows that I'm here?_ Sam looked at the envelope for a moment, and then opened it.

Inside, there was a sheet of paper which looked as if it had been photocopied from a book. Sam leaned against the wall next to the door, and read the information, his bottom lip caught between his teeth.

_**The Somnus-Nex demon  
**__The Somnus-Nex demon feeds specifically on people who have fallen into comas. Once someone has woken up from a coma, their life force is sufficiently weakened to enable the demon to get past a human's natural immunity to their power.  
__This weakness lasts for exactly 24 hours. Very often, the Somnus-Nex will 'stalk' its chosen victim, often leaving behind a residue that looks very similar to an aura, but appears to be more like dried blood in colour. Although this can be seen by anyone, most people will disbelieve what they see, their own brains insisting that it is something that is perfectly 'normal'.  
__The demon can only be completely destroyed when it's getting ready to feed, since that is when it is open to attack. The fastest way is to use a combination of salt and holy water to immobilise it, and then to perform a high-level exorcism. The items will need to be prepared in advance, since each step must be performed as quickly as possible, otherwise the demon will be able to break free.  
__Oftentimes, the demon will recruit a human to aid it – usually by offering the human something they particularly desire, such as immortality, wealth, immunity, power, and many others. However, the demon draws energy from its servant in order to manifest – so the human will often appear weak and tired; perhaps rather restless and unable to sleep well._

Sam read the article through twice, frowning in concentration. Most of it sounded pretty straightforward – but it was the final paragraph that really concerned him. _When I first came here, I noticed that Jody looked really tired, and she hasn't looked much better…_ There was something that kept pushing at the edge of his mind, though. Something that he had noticed before. However, try as he might, Sam couldn't concentrate enough to remember what it was.

_It's _got_ to be Jody… Right?_ There was the problem with doing something to stop her – and then discovering that it wasn't her at all. Then again, there was also the problem with doing nothing… and ending up with Dean getting killed.

_I wonder if the others entered parallel worlds as well… I suppose I'll never know that for sure._

Sam slid the sheet of paper back into the envelope, and then walked back into the living room, where Amber was sitting exactly where he had left her.

Amber glanced up at him. "I thought you were going out to the library…?" she said, sounding confused.

Sam shrugged. "I don't need to now," he replied, without elaborating. "Was Melissa able to tell you anything?" He decided that he was going to base his final assessment of whether Jody was innocent or not on whatever the spirit had to say.

_Right now, I'm gonna trust my instincts._

Amber looked away a moment. "She wasn't very clear on the details," the woman admitted quietly. "But… The woman who died was Min-Li – apparently a friend of Jody's, and one of the receptionists who worked in the hospital. Melissa saw Jody standing outside her house before the police came, carrying something which seemed to have come from Min-Li's apartment."

_The bottle of milk…_ Without another word, Sam turned round to head out of the living room again.

"Where are you going?" Amber asked.

"To get handcuffs," Sam answered, without turning round or slowing his pace in any way.

* * *

Jody curled up on her bed, flicking through a magazine. She wasn't really taking much of it in, though. She was feeling too worn out to really get into anything. Not to mention that she was waiting to hear _something_ about the bottle of milk she had taken to the lab. She knew that it would take a while to test the liquid – but patience had never been one of her strong points.

_I don't know if I did the right thing in telling Doctor Herring about what I know, but… I felt like it was the right thing to do…_

"What are you doing?"

Jody glanced up from her magazine to see Sam standing in the doorway. "Oh… Um…" She blinked a few times. "Just reading, I guess… Did you go out or something?" She hadn't _heard_ him use the front door at all.

"Yeah," Sam replied, stepping into the room. "Hey… you know, for a little while, I thought that perhaps _you_ were working with the demon."

"Huh?" Jody stared at him, her eyes wide. "What… you mean that demon which has been killing the people in the hospital? Why would you think that?! Of course it's not me!" She blinked. _Someone's been working with the demon? How come I was the last person to hear about this?_

Sam stepped further into the room – right next to Jody's bed – and extended a hand. "Promise?"

Jody frowned, feeling slightly confused. Then, she shrugged, and held out her own right hand to grasp his. "Of course…" she started. Then, she felt something cold and hard clamp around her wrist, and couldn't help yelping a little. "Hey!" She glanced down at her hand, and widened her eyes. "Handcuffs?! Is this some kind of joke?" She looked up into Sam's cold gaze. _Ok… Not a joke._

"Funnily enough, I just don't believe you about not being in cohorts with the demon," Sam answered, as he used the other half of the handcuffs to drag Jody nearer to the bedposts. She struggled, of course, but Sam was able to fasten it to the closest bedpost, and then lock it with the key, which he then tucked into his pocket.

Jody tried to pull her hand free of the handcuff – but it was a too snug fit. "Are you crazy?!" she demanded.

"Nah, I'm just making sure that you can't escape to help the Somnus-Nex demon kill my brother," Sam said. "If you really _are_ innocent, then I'll apologise later. But, right now, I need to help Dean. If you need anything, you can just yell for Missouri or something." With that, he walked out of the room.

"You get back here and let me out of these handcuffs RIGHT NOW!" Jody screeched – but to no avail.

* * *

"I am not talking to you." Amber sat in the back seat of the Impala with her arms folded across her chest, stubbornly not looking at Dean.

"You just did," Dean pointed out, even as he got into the driver's seat, and glanced with some impatience towards the house. _What's taking Sam and Jess so long?_

"Well, I'm not talking to you _now_."

"You know, I had an argument like this with Sam once," Dean commented. "Eventually, he got tired of the whole thing and gave up not talking to me. 'Course, he was about ten at the time, so it wasn't _too_ difficult…"

"Was this _your_ brother, or the brother of my boyfriend?" Then, Amber shook her head. "Never mind; I don't wanna know. But that demon was _awful_. You have no idea just what it was like for me, being a prisoner inside my own mind!"

"You know what? I don't!" Dean snapped. "But you're not the _only_ person who's been possessed by a demon! And do you think you could maybe be a _little_ more grateful, at least?! The demon's gone – not everyone has that kind of luck. And, hey, you know what? If I _hadn't_ done that, the demon would have eaten you up from the inside – like some kind of bug." _But, you know – don't thank me or anything._

"Oh…" Amber said quietly, in quite a small voice. "I guess you sorta saved my life, then… Thanks."

Dean grunted. "You could have said that in the first place, rather than yelling at me for throwing a snake at you and getting you bitten – which, by the way, will heal nicely in only a few days." He knew that his tone was bitter, but he couldn't help it. One thing he particularly hated was people who couldn't be even a bit grateful if he did something for them. "At least I got one that was relatively harmless," he muttered. "You just need to take some antibiotics."

"Sorry…"

_I think I'll be glad when I get out of this world…_ Actually, Dean wasn't as sure of that now. _Mom's alive in this world, and so is Jessica… Dad and Sam are happy. The other Dean didn't appreciate this – but _I_ would._ He was starting to be faced with the possibility that he wouldn't mind a _lot_ if he had to stay in the parallel world.

_As long as I knew that my brother in the real world was all right…_

Dean glanced up as Sam got in the passenger side. "Hey, what took you so long?"

"Mom wanted to know when we were coming to visit them again," Sam answered as he did his seatbelt up. "I said that we'd try to come next month." He raised his eyebrows at Dean, and tilted his head slightly with an inquiring expression.

"Fine with me. You two all right back there?" Dean glanced back over his shoulder, and waited for nods from both Jessica and Amber before he put the car into gear and reversed out of the space.

_It would be great to be able to visit Mom and Dad again… And it was so good to be able to see her this time, since my last sight of her – apart from at four years old – was in the old house, where she gave her life to protect me and Sam._

* * *

The smell of death was something that Dean would never fully get used to. As soon as the front door was opened, it hit him right in the face and almost caused him to gag. _What happened?_

"What's that smell?" Sam was frowning.

Amber's eyes widened, and she pushed past Dean and Sam. "Brownie?!" She started to head into the building, but was stopped when her arm was grabbed. "Dean? Let me go!"

"It might not be your dog," Dean said, looking into her eyes. "Besides… Even if it is, I'm sure it's nothing more than him messing up and it not getting cleaned up or something. But, hey – I'll check it out. You just wait here with Sam and Jess." _I don't think her dog's alive, and if I'm right – whatever hurt him may still be inside the house._

"But…" Amber protested.

"Please." Dean met her gaze. When Amber looked away, he pushed her in Sam's direction. "Make sure she stays here." He then stepped into the house, covering his nose and mouth with one hand.

_Ok… I just have to avoid breathing in while I'm inside the house._

It wasn't too difficult to track down the source of the smell. As soon as he had done so, Dean almost wished he hadn't. He was thankful for not having much food in his stomach, since the sight and smell combined made him want to throw up.

There was blood everywhere. Right in the middle of the kitchen, there was the dog's body, hardly recognisable as once being a living creature. It looked like it had literally been torn apart.

_Was this Meg's doing…?_ Dean crouched down beside the dog's body, feeling for a pulse even though he knew it was useless. He only tried so that he could give Amber his word that he had attempted to see if her dog still lived.

When Dean pulled his hand away, the palm was stained with blood.

After wiping his hand on the wall, Dean turned to head back outside again. His plan was to get Sam, Amber, and Jessica out of the area, before going after Meg, or whoever had attacked the dog.

_I'm pretty sure it was Meg…_

Upon getting outside again, though, Dean paused, and his eyes narrowed, before he reached automatically for a gun that was no longer there.

Meg was standing outside the house. One arm was locked around Amber's throat; the other hand held a sharp dagger that glinted in the pale light. There was no sign of Jessica – but Sam stood beside the demon, his eyes completely black.

"Shit…" Dean whispered.

"That about sums it up." Meg smirked at him. "Oh, did I forget to mention? The vampire was sent after two people. He succeeded in your brother."

"Where's Jessica?!" Dean demanded.

"You're not nearly as intelligent as your brother," Meg commented, shaking her head with a mocking look. "The ones who have died in your world are the ones I can take control of in this world. I was in the process of subjugating the others here using my black elixir when _you_ dropped in."

Dean's gaze moved towards Amber. "Let her go," he said, not ashamed to beg for the woman's life – even from a demon. "She's of no use to you dead – and she might be worth more alive. Let her go – or I will kill you." He narrowed his eyes, giving his most menacing look.

"That's a chance I'm willing to take." Meg pulled Amber's head back by her hair, and the dagger flashed through the air towards the unprotected throat.


	21. Chapter 21

**Coma**

**Chapter Twenty-One**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Supernatural (of course), and I'm not making any money from this fic. Any character you don't recognise from the show, I probably own. Anything you recognise from another fandom, I don't own

(Note: Big talky bit. Feel free to skip over this section)

**Dedication(s): **At this stage, I'd like to give a big thank you to the writers, producers, actors, everyone else involved in Supernatural – for making this series so wonderful, and for giving me a wonderful new fandom to play in. I'm being completely serious when I say that this series would not have existed were it not for them. So I'd like to dedicate this fic to those people.

Also, I'd like to thank each and every person who's left a review for this fic. Since all I had when I started this story was Dean getting shot and ending up in the parallel world, and a not-very-clear ending, it's quite possible that I would have ended up dropping this fic eventually were it not for you people. This entire fic is dedicated to you guys. I'd mention all of you by name, but I'm bound to forget someone that way.

I want to thank everyone who has this fic on Story Alerts and/or Favourites. Even if you haven't left a review, it's still great to know that there are people who like this story enough to let it be _known_ that they like it, or to want to know when the newest chapter is posted. Again, this fic is dedicated to you.

Last (but not least), I'd like to thank everyone who's read this fic, even if you haven't made it clear that you have. I remember that I was really surprised when the fic had 10,000 hits – all I could do was sit there with my mouth open. So this fic is also dedicated to all of you – however many there are.

This fic wouldn't have come this far if it weren't for all of you.

Thank you.

Sarah

**Warning(s):** Strong violence; character death; some swearing; spoilers up to and including episode ten at least; horror

**Author's Note:** This is the final chapter. –Waits for people to start cheering-. It really has been fun to write this, and certain things have happened that I didn't expect – but then, it would be rather boring if I knew _everything_ that was going to happen.

If inspiration hits, I may write a sequel to this – I just wondered who (if anyone) would read it if I did write one.

Anyway… I will now stop babbling, and get on with writing.

* * *

In retrospect, Amber had had a pretty good idea that she wasn't going to survive for much longer. It had been a possibility since the vampire had bitten her – but she hadn't wanted to believe it. After all, who wants to believe that they're going to die? The survival instinct's strong in _everyone_.

Which was why, even though Amber felt her death was imminent, she fought to get out of Meg's grasp.

"Settle down," Meg ordered, tightening her grip on Amber's hair and causing the woman's eyes to water with the pain. "Surely you don't want to upset Dean? I mean, any more than necessary, of course."

_I really couldn't give a _damn_ about upsetting Dean…!_ Meg had Amber's arms locked behind her back, but she was still able to free one to try and force the knife away.

"Don't you touch her!" Dean moved forward, reaching for Amber. However, he had forgotten about the knife. Meg lashed out at him with it, and Dean had to recoil back sharply in order to avoid his face being slashed open.

Then, moving almost inhumanly fast, Meg stabbed the knife down towards Amber's throat. Amber's attempt to protect herself failed as the blade caught the edge of the arm she had flung up. But that pain was nothing compared to how it felt to have the knife rake right across her throat.

Amber tried to draw breath to scream, but all that came out was a gurgling sound. Meg let her go, but Amber could only stumble forward a few paces before her legs gave out. Dean caught her before she could fall to the ground, staring into her eyes with a look of horror. He looked like he was about to be sick as he reached a hand up to brush Amber's hair out of her face. "Amber…"

_I'm sorry…_ Amber tried to say it out loud, but she wasn't sure Dean understood. There wasn't any pain anymore. She just felt warm, and there seemed to be a soft halo around everything. Her body felt weak, and if it weren't for Dean holding her up, she would probably have collapsed by now.

Dean held Amber close, completely ignoring Meg – who still had the bloody knife. He was looking into Amber's eyes; he saw it when they darkened. He could almost feel it when her spirit left her body.

_Amber…_ Dean's arms loosened from around her, and the body slumped. As Dean stared at her, the rain started falling, and it mingled with the blood spilling onto the ground. With shaking fingers, he reached out and gently closed Amber's eyes, unable to bear the accusation he was sure had to have been there.

When he took his hand away again, there was blood on his fingertips.

"Why?" Dean straightened up, his eyes mostly on Amber – but he also kept part of his attention on Sam. _I need to get out of this… I need to stay alive – because there'd be no use in getting myself killed…_ "Why did you kill her? There was no need to…" He rocked slightly on the balls of his feet, ready to leap at a moment's notice. _I need to get that knife off her, then I can turn the weapon on her._

Meg laughed. "Maybe I enjoy killing? Besides… That bitch was asking for it. She's so… useless. Well, of course – I mean _was_." She smirked. "What are you trying to do, Dean? You won't be able to get the drop on me. Little Sammy will defend me, and I know that you won't harm your brother…"

"He's not my brother." _Not at the moment, at least. And I'm pretty sure that Sam would expect me to defend myself if we _were_ put in that situation. Of course, I realise that I didn't attack him when he shot me…_

"Like you really believe that."

_Dean._

Dean's head jerked up as he heard the voice echo inside his mind. _Sammy?_ It wasn't possible, could _not_ be possible – and yet, he couldn't deny the familiar tone. _But Sam can't talk telepathically… Can he?_ Then again, Dean had to admit that he had no idea of what sort of abilities Sam actually had.

_Stop thinking, Dean. It took me long enough to get through your thick skull as it is._

_No, not quite Sam,_ Dean decided. _The words are too harsh…_ Despite himself, though, he couldn't help glancing in the direction of his brother… Or, well, his brother in _this_ world. _What do you want?_ he demanded, struggling to keep most of his attention on Meg as well as to talk to the entity who seemed like his brother, but who Dean was sure wasn't. In fact, he didn't even think the thing talking to him was human.

_First of all, don't look in this direction,_ 'Sam' ordered. _Secondly… Don't attack Meg. I'm about to send you back to your own world._

_What!_ Dean demanded. _If you could send me back to my world, then why the _hell_ didn't you step in earlier!_ At least if _that_ had happened, Amber would probably still be alive…

_Chances are, she would have died anyway,_ the other answered. _I've only just been able to get through. In _my_ world, I look after the balance of the other worlds – along with my brother. I'm one of the Guardians._

_Huh?_ Dean was confused – but that wasn't too surprising. _How many parallel worlds _are_ there? No, wait, I don't want to know. Why couldn't you get through earlier?_ He was dimly aware of the fact that Meg wasn't moving. Actually, the rain seemed to have frozen. It was like time itself had stopped.

_This is so creepy,_ Dean thought.

_Look down,_ Sam ordered. _For me to come here, it demanded a sacrifice of blood. The woman was doomed anyway._

Dean shook his head. _You _sound_ like my brother, but you're definitely not him._ Sam would never be so callous as to casually accept an unnecessary death… Would he?

_But it _was_ necessary,_ Sam said. _And I'm just a different version of your brother. Now will you _please_ shut up? I can't stay here for long, and if I get forced out again, I won't be able to come back unless there's another sacrifice of blood._

Dean shook his head slightly. _Fine; do what you have to do. But… Is there any way you could change what happened here? So that Amber's alive, and Sam isn't possessed? Even if it means that they don't remember me being here…_

_I can't do that, I'm afraid,_ Sam answered. _It's not possible to change time to bring someone back from the dead. But what I _will_ do is let you forget the events that happened here. It would cause problems for you to remember anyway._

_At least I wouldn't have to remember all of these things being caused because of me,_ Dean thought. He gave a mental sigh. _Fine. Send me back. _Now_. Is there anything going on in my world that I need to know about?_

_I can't tell you that._

_What! Hey, that's not fair! Who makes these damn rules anyway…!_

* * *

The first sense that returned to him was sound. There was a loud, incessant beeping echoing through his ears. He tried to move, but something was holding him more or less still, and he couldn't move more than an inch to either side. _Am I tied up?_ The thought filled him with panic, and he began struggling.

"Dean?"

Dean blinked a few times, and his vision abruptly came back. The first things he saw were the white walls all around him, and there was the smell of disinfectant assaulting his nose. He could also see his brother's face that seemed to fill half of his vision. "Sammy…?" he mumbled. "What's going on? What happened?" The last thing he remembered was being shot… by Sam.

The relief in Sam's face was obvious. "You've been in a coma for nearly a week… How are you feeling? You don't remember anything?" He reached out, and Dean felt one of the wires holding him in place release him. "I'll get you out of this…"

His brother's face was so close to his that Dean could see the hurt barely masked by the relief. He lay still while Sam removed the rest of the wires, and then sat up, putting a hand to his head. "I feel like I have a hangover. You know, if I have a headache, generally I want to have done something _fun_ the night before."

"You don't remember anything?" Sam asked.

Dean looked blankly at his brother. "Remember… _what_? I was in a coma – it's not like I went anywhere."

"Actually…"

Dean was suddenly hit by a violent force that sent him flying off the bed and into the wall. He grunted, and tried to get up, but was grabbed again and thrown into the opposite wall.

Dean struggled to stand up, and, as he lifted his head, he saw the air shimmer – as though above a flame – and a demon was standing there.

* * *

Amber leaned over the toilet, and was sick. Her head pounded violently, and her neck hurt – for no obvious reason.

"Are you all right?"

Amber looked up at Missouri, and bit her lip against the angry response that sprang to her mind. "I don't know," she admitted instead. "I feel like… a vital part of me has been ripped away. I can't really explain." She stood up, feeling faint and light-headed. "I can't stay here. I have to go… home."

Missouri seemed to consider that for a moment, and then she nodded. "It might be the best thing to do," she agreed. "Do you want to wait until Sam comes back? I don't think he'll be _that_ long."

Amber shook her head. "I'd rather just leave now, if that's all right. As I said to Sam – it's not like you need me around." She flushed the toilet, and then walked past Missouri and out of the room, wiping her mouth. "First, though, I need to get a drink. Of cold water. And wait for my stomach to settle."

Missouri nodded, and followed Amber out. She paused outside Jody's room, and glanced through the doorway. "Everything all right?"

Jody scowled, and didn't answer. She'd obviously attempted to pull her hand free of the handcuffs, but had stopped before drawing blood. She seemed pretty mad – but then, that didn't surprise Missouri.

"Just let me know if you need anything." With that, Missouri headed down the stairs after Amber. Instead of entering the kitchen or the living room, though, the psychic opened the front door. "Doctor Nelson."

The doctor blinked, staring open-mouthed at Missouri, his hand still raised to knock or ring the doorbell. "Oh…" Then, he quickly regained his composure. "I'm sorry… I just thought I'd come round and see how my niece is doing." He was carrying a bag slung over his shoulder, and seemed to be slightly nervous. His gaze moved past Missouri's shoulder, looking at something behind her. "Um… Hello."

Missouri knew – without looking – that Amber was standing behind her. "We're friends of Sam Winchester," she said, deciding that it was better not to go into details about who she and Amber were.

"And I'm leaving," Amber announced, moving past Missouri and then Doctor Nelson, who moved out of the way. She only just managed to avoid banging her holdall into either of them as she walked. "I'm going to get a taxi to the airport. You can let Sam know that he can get hold of me on the number of Stanford University," she called back over her shoulder as she walked out of the gate.

"Huh… She was in a hurry," the doctor commented. He turned back to Missouri. "Sam told you who I am?"

Missouri nodded, and stepped back from the door. "Please come in."

"Thank you." The doctor stepped through the door, and paused by the stairs as he set his bag on the floor and started rifling through it.

Missouri stepped forward, and closed the door. Before she could turn around, though, she was suddenly grabbed, and a piece of soft material was pressed against her mouth. The chloroform soaked into her nose and mouth, and Missouri slumped even as she lost consciousness.

Doctor Nelson caught the psychic, and half-dragged, half-carried her into the living room. He put her down on the sofa, and then headed out of the living room and up the stairs.

* * *

Sam finished reading the Latin words, his voice ending almost on a shout. Although he had been speaking as fast as he could, he had also been very careful not to get any of the words wrong. Given that the demon was in the process of trying to feed on Dean, Sam also had the added incentive of not getting his brother killed.

_At least the Somnus-Nex demon doesn't seem to be able to focus on anything other than its chosen prey,_ Sam thought.

The demon's tentacles had let go of Dean though, and he collapsed, gasping, onto the floor. The tentacles were sucked into a swollen stomach, and the head turned in Sam's direction, mandibles snapping threateningly at him. It started to scuttle in his direction, but was stopped by an invisible force. A terrible, screeching wail came from it as indistinct arms – apparently made out of mist – wrapped around its body and pulled it through the floor.

For a moment, Sam just stood there. Then, he hurried over to his brother's side. "Dean! Are you all right?"

After a moment, Dean carefully pushed himself to his feet. He had to grab onto the edge of the hospital bed to support himself. "Dude… I figure I must _really_ taste good."

"It didn't really get a chance to eat much of you," Sam answered. "Come on – we need to get back. The demon was working with someone, and I'm pretty sure I know who it is. I handcuffed her to a bedpost."

"Handcuffed, huh? Kinky." Dean grinned. "Is she hot?"

"Dean, she's probably evil," Sam pointed out, unable to help a slight smile. He then remembered what he had done, and his smile faded. "Come on… We really should go." He left the room, heading towards the entrance doors with barely a glance towards the reception desk. Although… "No one seems to be in a panic because of the sound of screaming," he commented.

"It's a _hospital_. I'm sure they must be used to people screaming here." Dean paused, and glanced towards the reception desk. "Huh. That guy looks stressed out about something."

Sam followed the line of Dean's gaze, and frowned slightly. There was a man talking on one of the phones at reception, and he sounded quite agitated. Sam could make out the name Jody being spoken, and he frowned. _He sounds really worried…_ "We should go and talk to him…" Sam said, and headed over without waiting for a response from his brother.

Dean rolled his eyes, but obediently followed Sam.

"As _soon_ as you get this, you need to get out of the house!" the man ordered into the phone. "I don't care what you're doing. I'll be over there as soon as possible." He put the phone down, and then turned, pausing as he saw Dean and Sam.

"Is something wrong?" Dean asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Is it something to do with what's been going on here?" Sam's question was more direct. "And with Jody?"

The man hesitated, glancing around a moment. Then, he sighed, and closed his eyes for a moment. "I suppose it's about time I told someone this. I was a photographer who worked with Melissa Williams. When she wrote her articles, though, we agreed that I would be anonymous. Which is why – when she was killed – no one knew about me. Well, apart from a friend, Jody."

Sam frowned, wondering at the man's words. _If Jody was working with the demon, then I wonder why she left this man alive…_

"So why were you calling her?" Dean demanded. "I heard you say her name – I'm guessing you got the answer phone."

The man glanced between Dean and Sam. "I don't pretend to believe all of that stuff that they supposedly found out," he said. "It all sounds crazy to me. But… I've been investigating the goings-on in the hospital. I _know_ Melissa. The autopsy said that she was driving while drunk – but that's not like her. So I found out who did the autopsy on her – and discovered that it was Doctor Nelson."

"Jody's uncle…" Sam ignored the questioning look Dean shot him.

The man nodded. "I didn't think _too_ much of it at first. But when I found out about the death of that receptionist – Min-Li – I let Jody know, since they were friends. But, again, the autopsy was performed by Doctor Nelson…"

_That would explain why Jody was outside her house…_ Sam thought. He looked at Dean. "We've got to go back. Now."

* * *

Jody had just been drifting into a light doze when she felt the bed dip suddenly, as if someone had sat down next to her. Her eyes flew open, and she glanced around in confusion a moment, almost expecting Sam to be there. Then, she felt cold metal against her throat, and looked up into the dark eyes of her uncle.

"Uncle…?" Her limbs felt heavy. She knew that she should try and get away, but she felt so tired…

"Don't try to escape," the doctor said – taking Jody's arm anyway. "I've injected you with a sedative, enough to make you sleepy. Unfortunately, you have to be awake for this."

_It was you…_ Jody tried to get her tired mind around the implications of this. "Why…?" Her speech was slurred, almost as if she were drunk. She would have tried to escape, but the handcuffs still held her – not to mention the dagger against her throat…

"You don't know?" He petted Jody's hair gently as his expression turned almost thoughtful. "I was diagnosed with a brain tumour a while ago. I was so close to despair… And then, _she_ came to me. It was such a simple deal," he continued. "I just had to find the victims and make sure there was plenty of time for her to do the work. None of them were people who would be missed."

Jody's eyes widened and she began trying to pull her wrist free of the handcuff, ignoring the pain as the sharp edges dug into her skin. _I guess that, if I cut myself, at least the blood might make it slippery,_ she thought. _Meanwhile… I've _got_ to keep him talking._ She could barely focus enough to pull her thoughts together, though… "Melissa…?" she whispered. "Min-Li…?"

"Your reporter friend was getting too close to the truth," Doctor Nelson replied. "It was a simple matter to cut the brakes on her car, and who would suspect? And as for Min-Li? Well, _she_ needed some extra food." He smirked. "Did you know that daddy longlegs are extremely poisonous? There has always been that theory going around, but I proved it. I used an aerosol can to spray the poison right into her face."

Jody flinched, as much from her uncle's words as from the pain she felt as the handcuff drew blood. Somehow, she had to get the dagger away from her neck, though. "Why… me…?" she asked.

"Because after Dean Winchester's death, _she_ needed only one more sacrifice. So… it's going to be you." Doctor Nelson took the dagger away, but took Jody's free wrist and placed the blade against her skin there. "Only a shallow cut will be enough. The blade's coated with the poison. As soon as it enters your bloodstream, you'll die."

"It's too late for that now."

Doctor Nelson's head jerked up, and he stared at Sam, who was standing in the doorway – his brother close behind him. As he did that, the dagger moved away from Jody's wrist.

Jody yanked, and her other wrist came out of the handcuff. She couldn't help crying out, though, at the pain that flared through her. With difficulty, she rolled off the bed, struggling to stay conscious.

"What are you doing alive!" Doctor Nelson demanded of Dean.

Dean smirked. "Hey… I'm too handsome to die."

Sam jabbed his brother in the ribs, and addressed the doctor: "The demon's gone. We exorcised it. It's too late now."

Doctor Nelson didn't seem to be listening to reason, though. He ran at Sam and Dean, the dagger in his hand lifted. However, before he even got to the brothers, he hit what appeared to be an invisible wall.

"What's going on?" Dean asked quietly.

"Just wait."

A mist formed between Sam and Dean and the doctor, and coalesced into the form of a young red-haired woman. Melissa swept through the doctor's body, and he froze as she ripped out the other side. Then, slowly, his lifeless body collapsed to the floor, and Melissa's spirit simply dissipated.

Jody slumped backwards, holding onto her injured wrist with her other hand, widening her eyes and trying to stay awake.

A battle which she was fast losing.

* * *

"You don't _have_ to leave, you know," Sam said.

Sam, Dean, and Jody were standing in the departure lounge of the airport, waiting for Jody's flight to be called. Although Jody had said that she didn't want them to put themselves out, Sam had insisted on seeing her off – and Dean had come with him. They'd already seen Missouri off – who'd told them to be sure and come and visit her, including Jody in that comment.

"I know," Jody replied. "But… There aren't the greatest of memories here anymore. Besides, I really didn't want to follow my family tradition and work in a hospital anyway."

"So what do you plan on doing?" Dean asked.

Jody shrugged. "I'm thinking of going to Stanford University… I'd like to open my own shop, actually."

"Good luck with that," Sam said. "And… I'm sorry for believing that you were working with the demon – and for handcuffing you to the bedpost." He made sure to keep his voice low – just in case anyone was bored enough to want to listen to someone else's conversation.

"I'll get over it." Jody glanced down at the healing cut on her wrist. Then, she looked up at Sam and Dean – but mainly Sam. "You know… If you're ever at Stanford. Come look me up. You still have my cell phone number, I believe. Just give me a call whenever."

"I'll do that." Just as Sam spoke, the announcement for Jody's flight was made.

"You'd better go," Dean commented, seemingly happy enough – but then, as long as he didn't have to actually get _on_ a plane, he was fine.

Jody nodded, and turned to walk away, glancing once back over her shoulder and giving a slight wave.

"So… Let's get on with finding Dad," Sam said as soon as Jody was gone. He blinked as he realised that Dean was looking at him oddly. "What?"

Dean shrugged. "Nothing."

"Do we need to talk about what happened with Doctor Ellicott?" Sam asked, wincing even as he said it. _I managed to avoid dwelling on this while Dean was in a coma, and again with the whole demon thing…_

"Nah," Dean replied. "I'm not really in the mood, you know. Besides," he continued when Sam opened his mouth again, "I don't blame you."

Sam shook his head. "Dean… I _shot_ you. You can't honestly tell me that you're not mad about it. I should have been able to fight it. I'm the one having the dreams, after all…!"

"Sammy, if you try to turn this into a chick flick moment, I swear I'll kick your ass," Dean warned. "Besides… I know that those were feelings you've _always_ had. It's not like you've ever made an effort to hide your thoughts from me before."

"But this was different. This time, I shot you. I picked up the gun, and fired it at you… It was only by luck I didn't hit anything vital."

"Yeah, you shot me," Dean agreed. "But you've forgotten one thing, Sam. I handed you the gun. I goaded you into shooting me. And, you know, you _did_ hesitate. Besides… you're a good marksman – not as good as me, of course, but still… And yet, you still managed to avoid killing me."

Sam shook his head, refusing to believe his brother's words. "I _shot_ you," he repeated.

"And you're not gonna do it again, are you?"

Sam looked at his brother like he was crazy. "No, of course not."

"Then we're good." Dean pointed a finger at Sam, managing to look stern. "Now – we're not gonna talk about this anymore, you hear me? And if you do anything stupid because of this, then I really _will_ kick your ass. Understand?"

"Yeah… I hear you." For some reason, Sam's heart felt lighter. Dean wasn't good with emotional talk – but Sam knew that his older brother had just told him, in his own way, that he was forgiven.

"Good. Then let's go."

* * *

The next morning, Sam was woken up by the sound of his brother's cell phone ringing. He let out a groan, and sat up slightly in the bed, blinking a few times as he struggled to recall just where they were. _In a motel…_

"Dean?"

Dean didn't stir. Sam was worried, but only for a moment. After all, Dean had had a tiring few days.

They _both_ had.

When the phone continued ringing, Sam sighed and picked it up, fully expecting it to be some girl calling. "Hello?" He then sat up, shock registering on his face. "_Dad_?"

**The End**


End file.
